


Cruel Summer

by akitokihojo



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Lemon, Romantic Soulmates, Smut, Soulmates, inukag - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:41:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 49,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24689308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akitokihojo/pseuds/akitokihojo
Summary: What would you do if you met your soulmate at the wrong time?
Relationships: Higurashi Kagome/InuYasha
Comments: 23
Kudos: 160





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A couple notes before you read:
> 
> Did I really just write a 33,805 word, 61 page fic and post it all in it's entirety? Yes, I did.
> 
> Could I have broken it into parts? Probably. Should I have? No. I firmly believe this story is stronger in one. With that being said, take snack breaks if necessary. Don't forget to stay hydrated.
> 
> This is a soulmate au.
> 
> While this fic has got it all, please heed the title. You're in for some fluff, smut, and a healthy dosage of angst. Because, would I really be me without my infamous flare for dramatics?
> 
> Alright, that's all. See you on the flip side.

She'd never been a fan of summer. Heat waves, sunburns, uncomfortable nights, sweat, bugs, and you could only strip so much before it was deemed inappropriate. If she had her way, Kagome would be sitting in front of the air conditioner of her apartment, marking off day five of August to continue the countdown to Autumn.

But, no.

Her best friend coerced her to take a trip - and by coerced, she literally emptied her underwear drawer and hid every pair of panties she owned while Kagome was in the shower, and the only way she'd give them back was if Kagome agreed to immediately go on this month-long outing to her family's vacation home at the beach with a couple other friends. She'd been against it. She was about to start her final year of college, and she wanted to _rest_ before the most stressful year of her life, but the promise of margaritas, the view of the ocean, a break from the norm, and the return of her undergarments was persuasive enough to get her to fold.

Three hours later, and here they were, the call of seagulls acting as their cliche welcome to, as Ayame deemed it, the summer of their dreams.

"God _dammit!"_ Sango bellowed, kicking her suitcase, and Kagome immediately beamed, hopping over the bed they'd agreed to share and running for cover. She'd been watching her best friend search her bag for a few solid minutes, waiting for her to blow her top. "Kagome, where the hell is my underwear!?"

"I told you, you were playing a dangerous game!" She laughed, using the island counter as a guard between them, Sango hot on her trail chasing after.

"Where are they!?"

"Don't know!" She squealed, running to use their friend, Miroku, as a cover. "They're definitely _not_ in the cooler, though!"

"You -" Sango stopped in her tracks, her jaw dropping wide. "You put -" Her head swiftly turned to look at the cooler of drinks. "You put my - my _panties_ in ice!?"

" _Yeah_ , she did." Miroku laughed, giving her a mock cheers with the beer he held in his hand.

"Kagome!" She guffawed, mostly of shock.

"You threatened to give a pair of mine to Hojo, even after I agreed to come! It was fair!" Kagome doubled over laughing, her best friend throwing the top of the cooler open and digging out the ziplock baggy of her underwear, sighing in relief when she realized they weren't sopping wet in ice cold water.

"We're even now, right?" She asked, hitting Kagome in the arm with her baggy.

"We're even! We're even!" Kagome laughed, holding her hands up defensively.

"Okay, then get ready!"

"Tonight, we party!" Their red-headed friend cheered, her cheeks already pink from the harsh rays of sun.

Kagome rolled her eyes humorously, dragging her feet back to their room to get dolled up for their planned night of barhopping - which usually meant Ayame was going to attempt to be ambitious, but they were all going to settle for the first place they landed at. She wasn't the least bit surprised that they were itching to go out on the first day, and quite frankly, she'd grown to be excited, herself. It had been a long time since Kagome had let loose and allowed herself to just have fun.

She emptied the clothes from her suitcase, quickly following Sango's lead and putting them away as neatly as possible before shifting through dresses to decide on one to wear for the night. It was between a dark blue one with straps across the back, or a glittery, black one that was low-cut in the front.

"Straps." Sango chimed, waggling her brows.

"Oh my god, guys!" Ayame cried, running in their room with a teddy bear in her arms, squishing it tightly to her chest. "Look what Koga slipped into my bag! Isn't he the cutest!?"

"Oh, no." Sango groaned, looking at Kagome with the same, apprehensive grimace she wore.

"What?"

"You guys are gonna have FaceTime sex, aren't you?"

"And, miss the opportunity to pretend we're in a long distance relationship?" Ayame scoffed.

"Ew!" Kagome wined.

"Are you in the furthest room!?" Sango asked, laughing. "You better be in the furthest room from us!"

"Listen, if you hear some moaning, _mind ya business!"_ The red head teased, rolling her eyes with extra sass.

"Awe, man! She's in the room next to me!" Miroku complained, stomping through the common area noisily. Kagome and Sango both laughed loudly, showing no remorse for the only guy brave enough to go on a long trip with the three of them.

Sango kicked the door shut as Ayame left, stripping off her tank top and unbuttoning her shorts in preparation of changing into her chosen dress for the evening. A form-fitting, little cocktail that she usually saved for a third date with a guy - her _third date dress,_ if you will. She smoothed it over her body, pulling it lower down her thighs and swiveling on the heels of her feet to get a full look at herself in the lengthy mirror on the wall. "Shit." She hissed.

Kagome glanced over, her shirt already removed and hanging from her wrist, waiting for Sango to explain her vexation.

"It's been so long since I've been on a date, I forgot you can't wear underwear with this dress."

"Good thing they're all frozen, anyway." Kagome joked, throwing up a finger gun with a click of her tongue.

There was a loud, inarticulate groan from Miroku in the living room, just outside their wall, and Kagome stifled her laugh with her shirt when Sango turned bright red, not realizing how loud they'd spoken.

"In what world!? In what world would we ever happen!?" Sango shouted at him, giggling when all he did was groan loudly again.

"This world." Kagome teased, keeping her voice hushed as she slipped her dress over her head.

"No, way."

"Oh, please! You and I both know you've got the hots, and you've only been resisting because you're mad at yourself for liking him." Sango pursed her lips, fighting off the smile that would give her ruse away. "I'm willing to bet, by the end of this trip -"

"Don't say it! You'll jinx me!" Sango silenced her best friend, rummaging through her makeup bag in a feeble attempt to blow off the topic.

—

The music was loud, the dance floor was packed, and Ayame was lost in the crowd somewhere with Miroku. Kagome and Sango sat at a table they'd managed to snag, sipping their margaritas as a waitress walked over, smiling, placing two shots of tequila on the table. Sango laughed as Kagome shook her head, staring at her like she was crazy, but still, she took the little glass that Sango happily handed over to her, Sango holding her own up to say something to cheers to.

"Final year of college is about to begin! We deserve this time, okay! I don't want to hear a single word about buying books for the next twenty-eight days, do you hear me!?"

"To not buying books!" Kagome laughed, gently tapping her glass to her best friend's and taking the shot, scrunching her face, but always proud of herself for never needing a chaser while Sango took a bite of the strawberry on the rim of her margarita glass to drown the harsh taste of her alcohol.

"So," A guy crouched next to their small table, bracing his forearm on the edge of the fake wood to balance himself. The two girls looked over to the man, a little surprised but giggling when they stole a little peek at each other. He was handsome. Ungodly handsome. His hair was short, tousled, and a light shade of silver that had Kagome's initial attention, transferring to the dog ears atop his head that seemed to fit him better than she suspected normal, human ears would have. He wore a charming, crooked grin that fit him too well, and his golden eyes glowed richly, the lights from the bar, or club, or whatever Ayame had dragged them to, bouncing off of his irises and only shading them slightly. "I usually start off with something corny, like a pickup line, to flatter the both of you before I make any sort of ballsy moves, but I have a feeling that wouldn't work on two ladies that look the way you do."

Kagome couldn't resist her light laugh, turning her head away from him so he wouldn't receive the satisfaction of making her smile. One sentence in, and she could already tell the guy was good at smooth talking.

"Depends," Sango started, leaning forward with a flirtatious grin. "Which one of us are you here for?"

The man pointed his thumb at Kagome, keeping his eyes on Sango all the while. Kagome smiled, rolling her eyes and propping her chin in her palm, her elbow supported on the surface of the table.

"But, I know when two friends, such as yourselves, are with each other, neglecting one will only dock you points. Nor, would I ever want to make a pretty girl like you feel put out."

She smirked, colored impressed. "Yeah, see, you're not wrong. On any account. My friend, _Kagome,"_ Sango emphasized her best friend's name so the handsome man would be sure to remember it. "Hates pickup lines. Thinks they're the worst. Me, on the other hand? Boy, you could spend all night buttering me up and calling me pretty, and I'll be putty in your hands."

"Noted." He grinned, rightfully shifting his attention back to the girl he favored. She was giving him an expecting and amused expression, tapping a finger along her cheek, and cocking a brow as she waited for him to say something. "I'm just gonna cut to the chase. That good with you?"

"Go for it." She said, and it almost seemed like a challenge.

"I'm gonna buy you two a drink."

"No, thanks. We've already got one." Kagome couldn't help but giggle.

"Well, the cool thing about drinks is if you drink them, they empty, and then you can drink another."

"And, you're hoping for…?" It was an open-ended question, meant to put him on the spot.

"For you to drink them." His crooked smirk kept, amber eyes never leaving her face, though she half expected if she looked away, they'd travel down to the bold amount of leg she was showing.

"But, you haven't told me what _you_ get out of it."

"Ah," He chuckled, sparing her best friend a side glance as she watched them go back and forth, entertainment painted in the red on her lips. "Would it be difficult to believe that I literally just want to spend my money on you?"

"Yes."

"Thought so." He chuckled again. Even through the loud music, the people chatting, the generally boisterous atmosphere, Kagome enjoyed the deep sound of his voice. "Look, I'm not gonna ask if I can sit with you, I'm not gonna ask if I can see you later, and I'm not gonna ask for your number. I wasn't even going to ask for your name, though I do have to thank your pretty friend here for that bit of knowledge." He gave a smile in Sango's direction, and she sat back in her chair, fanning her face with her hand, her brows raised in surprise. "I just want to buy you a drink."

Kagome debated, giving him the moment to relish in her contemplation. He was good. He knew he was good. But, good didn't do it for her. "I'd say yes, but I'd only be giving you false hope. You're wasting your time. We're not from here."

"See, you missed the part where I told you I was happy leaving empty-handed." He leaned a little closer, still minding her personal space but wanting her to hear the rumble in his tone. "I'm not here to bother you, and I don't expect anything out of this."

"Strawberry margarita!" Sango said, slapping her hand against the table as if she'd sold something.

He laughed, nodding, then turned back to Kagome. She was recovering from the audacious glare she gave her friend, looking back at him, her brown eyes challenging him all over again. "I'm not from around here either." He added.

"So, you're further proving my point."

"No. Not at all. You stated an irrelevant fact, so I returned the gesture."

Kagome's jaw dropped, surprised but laughing from the jab.

"Look, my friends and I are about to leave. I didn't want to shut my tab until I offered to get you two something." He said, politely waving his finger to an approaching waitress. "I'll leave without saying another word if you let me buy you a shot on top of it, because it was pretty impressive watching you take that shit straight."

"Well, aren't you persistent?" Kagome teased, licking her bottom lip before taking it between her teeth.

"Yes." He smirked.

"You're also unbelievable."

"So I've heard."

"Fine. Not another word."

The man sealed his lips, the crooked smile that he began with taking over and taunting Kagome better than his voice did. As the waitress came over, he silently pointed to both margarita glasses and both empty shot glasses, confirming that he wanted her to bring doubles on his tab when she asked. And, he got up, gave her best friend a wink, and walked away.

"I think I had an orgasm." Sango said as soon as he'd left, straight-faced, slightly perplexed as she stared at Kagome.

Kagome laughed, thankful the lights in the place would thoroughly hide her blush. He was insanely charming, good looking, and holy hell, she'd never met someone that left looking so satisfied when he literally got nothing out of a conversation but her name. Maybe it was the alcohol she'd already consumed, but just that increased his attraction factor exponentially.

The waitress returned just minutes later, two blended margaritas and two shots of tequila sitting on her wet tray, and she kindly set the drinks before the girls. Kagome looked around after thanking her, seeing if the guy had already left or if he was sitting somewhere nearby. At the far end of the bar, she spotted him leaning against the edging, his light hair a dead giveaway, and his attention swung from the friends talking in front of him to her, as if he felt her eyes on him. She cocked her shot glass an inch higher in his direction, taking the swig and turning away when her nose crinkled.

God, his smile was going to be her undoing.

His friends began to head out the door, and he gave her another glance before heading out with them. She didn't know what had come over her. It had to be the alcohol; she didn't exactly have the highest tolerance level. Truthfully, she felt like she was giving him something he'd wanted, but she couldn't help herself. Kagome watched him as he walked out, and as she'd hoped, he spared her one last glance. And, when he did, she waved him back over. He didn't hesitate, separating from his peers and walking back towards the two girls, skillfully dodging people like he knew his way around the joint. When he leaned against the side of the table, he didn't say anything, keeping his earlier promise not to talk.

"I didn't get your name. I can't properly thank you without your name." She said, her tone unintentionally on the sultry side.

"It's Inuyasha." He said, leaning a little closer.

Just his name shouldn't have had any sort of sensations flooding through her stomach, or warmth spreading over the surface of her skin, but it did. It made her drag in a breath and hold it, it made her eyes shy down to the dip in his shirt where she could see the very edges of his collarbones, the hollow of his throat, the even tone of his flesh, it made her force herself to remember she was supposed to actually say something now. Kagome smiled, looking down at the placement of his hands on the table, the tips of the fingers of one very close to hers, then she glanced back up to him, meeting his amber eyes.

"Thank you for the drinks, Inuyasha."

"Don't mention it." He grinned, leaning even closer. His tone was husky, thick and deep and heavenly to Kagome's ears as he spoke once more. "By the way, I lied. I just got exactly what I wanted."

"And, what was that?" She asked, furrowing her brows speculatively.

"For you to be so interested that you wanted to know something about me. We both know you didn't need my name to say thank you. You just wanted the excuse to ask. Because, I bet you'll be thinking of me tonight almost as much as I'll be thinking of you. Isn't that right, Kagome?"

She didn't answer. He didn't give her a moment to. He tapped his hand against the table in a simple gesture of goodbye, turning on his heel and heading out. Kagome met Sango's wide, brown eyes, the straw hanging loosely from her lips, blinking away the tension.

"Oh, yeah. Bad day to not wear underwear." Sango remarked, sighing heatedly before she sucked down a huge gulp of her fresh margarita.

"What just happened?" Kagome murmured, and she was surprised her best friend had even heard her in order to reply.

"I think you just fell under a spell."

"Holy shit." She breathed, taken aback by the way his intense gaze had burned into her immediate memory, golden eyes blinking at her behind thick lashes, telling her a story where words weren't necessary for description. She was enticed. Curious. And, he was completely right. There was no way he wouldn't be stuck in her head tonight.

"Need some water?" Her friend laughed. "Some fresh air? You gonna be okay?"

Kagome buried her fiery blush behind her hands, laughing at how ridiculous she must have appeared and then grabbed her gifted beverage, taking little sips in the hopes that she could wash her embarrassment away.

—

Kagome awoke abruptly. It took a moment, a solid, deafeningly quiet moment, for her to hone in on her surroundings, where she was, what day it was, what time of day it was. It was bright, unlike the room she'd just dreamt she was in. The strong aroma of the ocean wafted through the vacation house, soft voices fluttering through the walls, helping to ground Kagome in present time.

"Hey, good morning." Sango greeted, entering their bedroom just as Kagome peeled herself from the sheets, sitting up and brushing the messy bangs from her head. "I was getting a little worried about you."

"Why?" Kagome asked.

"Well, it's passed eleven. You're a pretty early riser. I even tried waking you up for breakfast earlier, but you wouldn't budge."

"It's passed eleven?" She quirked, reaching for her cell phone on the nightstand to double check the claim.

"You feeling okay? You hardly drank last night, so you're not hungover or anything, are you?" Sango asked, closing the door as she walked further in, fishing through the top drawer of the dresser.

"No, I feel fine. Must have just been tired." Kagome brushed off, clearing her social media notifications. That dream always did this to her. She was held captive by the reoccurring illusion, and lately, as the dreams had begun coming to her more and more frequently, only loud noises could startle her out of them or else she'd be stuck riding it out until the very end. They left her dazed, confused, lost, and slightly lonely. The person behind the blurred veil was someone she was supposed to know, or was supposed to find, she knew this, but she couldn't see his face and the only identifiable feature was the birthmark that stood out more vividly than any other part of the vision. A faded spot on his chest. She could hear him speaking, but his words were muffled, like she was submerged in a bubble, the walls of which so unforgivably thick that even his voice couldn't be recognizable.

A notable dream, the meaning well-known to anyone who's had them. Who's heard of them, even.

That was her soulmate.

There was no telling when you'd meet, or where in the world they even were. Additionally, there were never guarantees that you'd find each other. It was just fate's way of letting you know you've got an inexplicable bond shared with a person somewhere, and here's an unclear indicator of who they are - an insignificant marking of some sort or another somewhere on their body, never the same for two people. It was cruel and unusual to most. Kagome did her best to dismiss it. If it was actually meant to be, as some insisted, then they'd appear before you someday. Until then, she wasn't going to put her life on hold if the guy she was interested in at any point in time didn't share the same mark. It wasn't a healthy way to live. Not with the billions of people inhabiting this planet. It just didn't make sense to wait, and wait, and wait, and wait for a moment that may never come. So, she never spoke of the dreams or got remotely excited whenever they happened. She didn't want to focus on the tan, uneven circle on the man's left pectoral, and otherwise unblemished skin of his toned torso. And, she tried so hard not to check on the partners she'd had in the past. But, she always did. She always, _always_ , grazed her fingers over their clear chest, hoping one day it'd appear.

And, that was the harsh reality of the dream. You knew your person was out there, and every time you laid with someone and realized it wasn't them, the most difficult part was pushing through the heavy disappointment to enjoy what you've, instead, found.

"Good. I made pancakes this morning, and saved a couple for you. Eat and get ready to go. We're hitting the little shops today before the beach."

" _You_ cooked?" Kagome teased, climbing off the king-sized mattress.

"Ha-ha! Yes, I cooked! I figured after a few days of being here, I should do my share in the kitchen."

"And, pancakes are Miroku's favorite?"

Sango narrowed a playful glare at her best friend, punching into her open hand to wordlessly say she was gonna hit Kagome if she didn't stop, and Kagome laughed, not threatened in the least as she picked out a bikini from her own drawer.

"Can we stop for coffee?" Kagome asked, heading to the master bathroom they shared to change. "I think I'll keel over if we don't."

"All that sleep and you're still tired?"

"There's such a thing as too much sleep."

"Not to college students."

"Coffee!"

"Okay! Coffee!"

Truthfully, no one would ever have an objection for stopping for coffee. They were all caffeine addicts, but somehow, their first morning there, Miroku had brewed the worst pot in existence, making the four of them swear off of home brew for a while. He swore it was a malfunction with the machine, which very well could have been true, but the girls were perfectly fine blaming him for the thick, murky concoction all of them refused to even sip after watching his own face go green.

The little shop was busy, chiming with the soft rumble of conversation mixed with the light jazz music coming from the speakers. Her friends had ordered first and were all sitting off to the side at a small table, waiting for their drinks to be called. Kagome ordered her usual drink she'd get while out and about, opting for iced instead of hot, given the weather.

"Add a medium black coffee to that, please." He stood close, but still minded a respectable distance where Kagome didn't feel it was necessary to back herself away in her subtle surprise. In his extended hand that hovered near her face, he held out his card for the barista to charge, his amber eyes focused on the woman at the register, but the smile on his face was for her, and Kagome knew it. The barista happily complied, swiping his debit card and kindly handing it back.

"You."

"You." Inuyasha echoed, notching his head to the side so she'd follow him out of line and towards the end counter where they'd receive their drinks.

"Is this gonna be a normal thing; you randomly appearing to buy me a drink?" She chuckled, slightly teasingly.

"If I have my way." He replied, shrugging his brows. "Unless you have any opposition."

"A simple hello will do, you know."

"What if I'm not just trying to say hello?"

"What else could you _possibly_ be trying to say by paying for my coffee?" Kagome asked skeptically, crossing her arms over her chest.

"A multitude of things, like 'you should always have your drinks paid for,' 'you look gorgeous in that dress,' even though I'm pretty sure you'll dismiss it as a loose summer one you've had in your closet for years - but you deserve to know it's something special on you - 'I'm happy I stumbled into the same coffee shop you just so happened to be in," is another, and 'for some reason, 'hello' seemed like a drab way to greet you but I needed an excuse to talk to you, and a two dollar coffee was well worth it.' But, mostly I was going for the surprise factor here. I like your face when you're taken off guard. It's cute. If it makes you happy, though, hello. It's nice to see you again, Kagome." Inuyasha grinned crookedly.

Her face had heated considerably, and she hoped her skin was still rosy from their recent walk in the sun so that her flush was concealed beneath the one that hadn't been caused by him. Kagome wasn't the type that fell for flattery and flirtatious quips. For some reason, in this case, she honestly couldn't tell if Inuyasha was being genuine or if he was just a professional sweet-talker. Either way, she surprisingly liked it. A lot.

It was crazy that she was entertaining _any_ thoughts of flirting with a guy right now considering the circumstances. She was on vacation, she lived hours away in a shared apartment at her university, and this guy, this incredibly attractive guy, was a stranger. It wasn't the safest scenario, but god, why did she want it so bad?

It was as if an unnatural force was creating this aura around him, causing him to stand out warmly in a crowd of people. No one's smile affected her like his did. No one's. She could easily dismiss it as the summer heat playing with her head, but she wondered, if he kept showing up out of the blue, how much more would she have to make up an excuse for? It was unreal how she kept thinking that the longer they stood by each other, the tighter a knot began to form between them. Absolutely unreal. Illogical. She needed coffee to think straight, because clearly she wasn't doing so well without.

Because of this, because of the two interactions they'd had so far, she already felt like the moment he disappeared through those coffee shop doors, she'd begin to constantly search her surroundings to hope she'd spot his short, silver hair. She'd begin to hope he'd pop up and say hi, he'd grin at her, he'd say her name.

Yikes, when Sango forced her to come out here, not a single part of her had prepared to have a _Grease_ moment. Yet, here she was, knowing she should probably thank him and walk away, but not a single part of her body, heart, or brain intended on doing so. Suddenly, she felt adventurous. She wasn't so weary about the obvious lack of rationality behind something so silly or potentially reckless. If he was into it, why couldn't she be?

"That's a lot to say with a coffee." Kagome said, softly nibbling her bottom lip.

"Imagine what I could say with an entire meal."

Yeah. There was no use even hoping her blush was hidden now. She had to look away at the suggestion, smiling.

"So, I recognize your friend over there, but who's the guy next to her giving me a dirty look?" Inuyasha asked, inching his chin up in gesture of their direction. Kagome turned around, noticing her three current housemates watching she and Inuyasha intently, Sango and Ayame looking rather pleased.

"Oh, that's Miroku. You should be careful, he's very protective of us girls."

"Ah. Is he your…?"

"Ew, oh god no. He's into Sango." Kagome grimaced sourly.

"And, which one is Sango?" She couldn't help but notice his expression seemed to relax a smidge.

"The one you met." Kagome said, realizing he'd never gotten her name at the bar. "Here, come meet the others." She turned on her heel, guiding the hanyou to her small table of friends. Kagome gestured to the red head on the left, the girl enthusiastically bouncing up to her feet to shake Inuyasha's hand. "This is Ayame. That's Miroku. And, you remember Sango."

"That's right. How's it going, beautiful?" Inuyasha smiled, wanting to offer his hand in a polite shake but unable to as Ayame actively refused to let it go, still shaking as if her own greeting wasn't yet over.

"Hey, choose a girl and stick with her, dude." Miroku spread his hands in a _what the fuck_ manner, giving a small gesture between Kagome and Sango.

"Sorry." Inuyasha pinched his lips together, trying not to chuckle, especially as Sango's face twisted in displeasure toward the man beside her.

Kagome locked eyes with her best friend, hoping she'd miraculously learned to read her mind by now. She even subtly flickered her eyes in Inuyasha's direction to indirectly communicate, adding a tiny nod for assurance. Sango, understanding, gave an eager approval, and as Miroku got up to get the drinks that had been called for the girls, Kagome took her opportunity to ask without their "protectors" disdain glaring Inuyasha down.

"So, what are you doing tonight?" She started. His golden stare landed on her, completely and charmingly unbothered by the fact that her friend was still holding his hand.

"What _should_ I be doing tonight?" Inuyasha countered.

"Well, we're having a little party - if you can even call it that. There's fireworks tonight, and Sango's vacation home has a beachside view, so we don't even have to go anywhere to see the show. It's just gonna be the few of us, music, drinks, and we've got a jacuzzi. Oh, and Ayame's boyfriend is coming into town to join in because apparently they have separation issues." Kagome said, slapping the red head's hand so she'd finally let him go. Her expression fell from adoring to bummed out, dropping her hand and plopping back down to her seat as she mumbled a "dammit" beneath her breath. "You're more than welcome to come if you'd like."

"I'd love to. What should I bring?"

"Just your pretty-little-self." Sango chimed, pulling a receipt out of the chest pocket of her overall shorts to write on the back of, and fishing her pen out of her purse. "Here's our address."

Kagome bent over the table, taking the pen from Sango as she finished and quickly scribbled her phone number beneath. She folded up the receipt, standing tall and sliding it into the front pocket of his gray, button up shirt. "In case you get lost."

Inuyasha smiled, his attention being stolen for a millisecond as his and Kagome's drinks were called and Miroku rejoined the table with his, Ayame's, and Sango's. "What time?"

"Six or seven."

"Or, whenever you'd like, let's be real." Ayame added, pursing her lips before taking her straw into her mouth to silence herself with a large gulp of coffee.

"I'll see you later." Inuyasha said to Kagome's friends, chuckling. He gave Kagome a notch of his head as he headed back to the counter, and she followed, gratefully taking her drink as he handed it to her. "See, now I'm really glad I stumbled into the same coffee shop as you."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Tell me why I wouldn't be after getting to see you again."

Kagome smiled shyly, trying not to bite her lip. "Thank you for the drink. Again."

"Anytime. I've gotta get going, gorgeous. I'll let you know when I'm on my way." He gave her the smallest, humblest smile, taking his own drink from the counter and heading out the door.

And, so her madness began.

"Is that the guy you met at the bar?" Miroku asked as she rejoined the group.

"Yeah, that's him. Inuyasha." She confirmed, taking a deep breath as she tried to regain her bearings.

"And, you invited him over?"

"You bet." Sango answered.

"Are you stupid?" He questioned, crossing his arms as they all rose to leave and giving Kagome a stare of disapproval. "Do you know anything about him besides his first name?"

"Isn't this how you get to know people?" She countered.

"Yeah, in public settings. You don't give people your address. The guy probably just wants to get into your pants, Kagome."

"I'd let him." Sango plainly agreed.

"Oh, yeah, me too." Ayame nodded.

"I promise, I'll learn his favorite color before I let him hump me. Happy?" She joked, sipping her iced coffee as they walked out.

"This. This is why I didn't let you guys come alone." He griped, rolling his eyes at how the girls completely disregarded him.

"You're one to talk! You're the guy who sleeps with any girl who will spread her legs. If anything, it's you who we shouldn't trust here." Sango laughed, swerving around Kagome to hide from him as he threatened to flick her.

"Okay, but hear me out," Ayame started, walking backward down the street as they headed to their first shop. "This is literally the safest environment for Kagome to get to know the guy in! We're all gonna be there, watching -"

"Ogling." Sango added.

"- and if anything bad goes down, you'll have Koga here to help kick his ass."

"God, now I feel like you guys are chaperoning me on a date." Kagome grimace.

"It's not a date." Miroku rebutted.

"It's kind of a date." Sango said.

"No, it's not a date!" Kagome agreed. "It's definitely not a date. He's just coming over to hang out. Therefore, don't hover." She directed that comment toward Miroku, narrowing her stare in warning. He rolled his eyes in return, the tiniest shakes of his head only noticeable when the ends of his shaggy hair wiggled back and forth, and she quickly pinched the back of his arm, causing him to jump away from her.

—

The sun was setting, and their little vacation spot was lively. The television was on with some sport or another playing, but the sound was muted - and would have been drowned out by the music and everyone talking, anyway. Even more so as a Taylor Swift song began and the three girls started dancing as dramatically as their favorite pop star, making the two guys groan from their spot on the couch, heads rolling back as they slumped further. Naturally, they weren't a fan and always begged the girls to skip, but that only prodded them to annoy them further by turning it up louder and ignoring their complaining. In all fairness, it was a random playlist on a music streaming site. And, as Sango had said, they didn't choose the music, the music chose them.

"I will give you each five dollars to at least turn it down." Koga pleaded, fishing his wallet out of his pocket.

"Deal!" The three girls concurrently beamed, all of which holding their hands out to accept their bribe.

Ayame twisted the volume nob down a tad, the music now at a tolerable level, though Miroku still looked as miserable as ever. Kagome resumed her place in the kitchen, checking that the water was boiling before dumping two boxes of macaroni and cheese noodles into the pot, and Sango hopped in behind her to finish throwing the ingredients into the blender that she'd momentarily interrupted herself to dance for, popped on the lid, and pressed the button to run it. Just as she turned it off, they heard the doorbell ring, and Kagome looked over, shocked. She was still in the dress from earlier, but she was currently wearing it indecently. Much like with how Sango had unlatched her overalls and allowed the top portion to hang freely down her body, trusting the shorts to stick snuggly to her hips, Kagome had pulled the halter top strap of her dress over her neck to hang loose, the skirt portion bunched enough to not fall from her hips and her chest only covered with her bathing suit top. She hadn't realized he'd get here so quickly after texting he was on his way.

"Not yet, not yet, not yet!" She called, sprinting from the kitchen, across the living room, and to the master bedroom she shared with Sango, slamming the door and trusting one of the others to let Inuyasha in.

Sango stifled her laugh, the noise coming out as more of a snort as she headed toward the front and opened the door. "Hi! Welcome to my parents' humble abode!" She greeted, immediately allowing him entry.

"Thanks." Inuyasha grinned, walking in and presenting a bottle of Patron. "I know you told me not to bring anything, but I figured you guys might be low on the good stuff by now. And, if not, you've got extra."

"Boy, you are an angel! We've been stuck using the cheap rum Koga brought because _no one_ wants to go to the store!" Sango playfully directed her loud jab toward the living room where the guys were congregated, listening to the beautiful sound of their droned and synchronized groans again. "Come on in, Kagome will be right out. She had to take a phone call."

Inuyasha followed the girl inside, taking note of the familiar red head sitting on the lap of, what was probably safe to assume was, her boyfriend. The guy who'd stared him down earlier sat on the far side of the couch from them, a beer in his right hand that was mostly empty, and he notched his chin up toward him in an informal hello. Honestly, Inuyasha understood his dissent completely; he'd be like that with any of his female friends, too. Probably even harsher; he wasn't exactly known for being kind to anyone he didn't necessarily like. It was good that Kagome had people looking out for her, but he meant no harm. She was interesting, she was stunning, he could already tell she was sassy, which he fucking loved in a woman, and he couldn't help but want to see what, exactly, it was about her that called to him in the first place. And, who didn't seek a little thrill when they were in an unfamiliar place for a limited amount of time?

It was a really lax environment, and although it was awkward as the newcomer and stranger, he felt it wouldn't take long to ease in, especially when Kagome would emerge. It was like his presence didn't dampen anything or cause anyone to stiffen, the friend group continuing to bicker lightly as if that was the normal way they communicated. Which, very well could have been true.

Ayame stood to greet him, and Miroku immediately started laughing boisterously, swinging her attention back to him as she swiveled on her heel to see what his deal was.

"Ayame, how? We were on the beach for, like, an hour! How did you get a sunburn that bad!?" Miroku pointed, bringing Ayame to visibly pout, knowing he was referencing the redness of her back that showed through the rear of her cropped tank top. Even her boyfriend leaned to see the evidence, covering his mouth with his fist to prevent himself from laughing and embarrassing her. "You're a demon, I thought shit like this never happened."

"Yes, I am a demon, but I'm also -" Ayame lifted her foot to sit on top of the coffee table before the couch, presenting her leg that was hardly covered by the pair of shorts she donned. Her voice held a mocking tone, and she cocked her head with attitude. "Pale."

"It'll fade by tomorrow." Koga assured.

"Does it hurt?" Miroku asked.

"I don't know, touch me and see." She dared.

"Oh, do it! I want to see what happens." Kagome encouraged, leaning her shoulder on the frame of the bedroom door she'd finally appeared from. She was now donned in jeans - her favorite jeans that worked wonders for her butt - and a loose top that hung off her shoulders; nothing too dressy that gave away that she was trying to impress, still looking casual while flattering her figure in a modest way. She turned her attention to Inuyasha who was already looking at her, amber eyes glowing with the hues of the sunset that shined through the glass that made up the back wall of the house.

"Hi, you." She greeted, sauntering over to him.

"Hi." He grinned.

"He brought tequila!" Sango announced, framing the bottle with her hands from the side of the island counter, next to the blender.

"Oh, you didn't have to do that! Thank you so much!" Kagome smiled elatedly, gently grabbing his hand to lead him into the kitchen so he'd stick by her. She gave the macaroni noodles a stir so they wouldn't stick, before heading to the fridge, leaving him by the stove. "Water, beer, or something blended?"

"Beer." He said, accepting the bottle appreciatively after she popped the top for him.

Sango's phone started ringing, and she snagged it, looking at the unknown number and then giving an apprehensive yet excited expression to Kagome before bolting from the room and locking herself in the bedroom. Stealing a peek, Kagome peered over the island, watching Miroku's lips set disappointedly, his indigo eyes on the closed door before he hid it all behind the beer bottle he took a swig from.

"What's wrong with him?" Inuyasha whispered, leaning closely next to her.

"He always assumes when she does that she's on the phone with a guy. Really, she's been waiting to hear back from a specific company for an internship. She's gotten other offers, but she's weighing her options first, and I don't know how many times I have to explain that to him." She replied, matching his low tone.

"Aren't they together?"

"No, he wishes." She shook her head, ducking down into the cupboards to fish out the colander. As she stood straight and set it up in the sink to strain her noodles, Koga appeared on the outer side of the island counter.

"Hey." He said to Inuyasha.

"Hey." Ayame smoothly curved over, propping her forearms on the counter, her voice taking a flirtatious hint.

"Hey!" Koga pushed her face away, causing the girl to stumble backward and giggle. He sighed, rolling his blue eyes before glancing back at the newcomer. "Nice to meet you. Apparently, you're a god of some sort?"

"What?" Inuyasha blinked, chuckling out of surprise.

"Oh my god," Kagome grieved, humiliated by every single one of her friends' lack of tact. "Inuyasha, this is Koga. Koga, Inuyasha."

They shook hands, and Koga once more playfully pushed his girlfriend away, even though she was only reaching to pour the drinks from the blender. Miroku joined them then, an even stare given to the hanyou as he propped his upper body on the counter, ignoring the abundance of steam that rose as Kagome poured the boiling pot of noodles into the colander.

"You a rapist?" Miroku carelessly asked.

"Miroku!" Kagome reacted, shocked.

"No." Inuyasha answered, meeting her protective friend's eyes as honestly as possible.

"A serial killer?"

"No."

"You got a wife?"

"No."

"Kids?"

"No."

"A girlfriend?"

"No."

"You think Kagome's cute?"

"Very."

"How many questions can I ask until you get annoyed?"

"Probably three more."

"Alright, he's chill." Miroku held out his fist to bump with Inuyasha's, then finished off the beer he had in his hand before making his way around to the fridge to grab another. "So, I've gotta ask, man. What's your secret?"

"What do you mean?" Inuyasha asked in return, flinching out of the way as Kagome chucked a Hawaiian roll at Miroku.

"Hey, I was done!" He defended, holding his wounded side before picking up the small roll of bread from the floor and carelessly taking a bite. "Watch out for her, she's got a hell of an arm. Anyway, I mean what's your trick? What's the line you use to get a girl interested in you so quickly?"

Kagome blushed furiously, ducking her face as she dumped the strained noodles back into the pot.

"I don't have a line." Inuyasha smirked, trying to hide his amusement.

"Bull." Koga attested from the side. "Even I had to use a line to get this chick."

"Ew, don't say it like that!" Ayame smacked his arm, pushing Miroku aside from the island counter so she could pour the blended drinks into three cups, meant for the girls who didn't even like beer.

"I really don't have a line."

"Kagome?" Miroku called, wanting her side of it.

"He didn't use a line on me. In fact, he said he could have but he didn't want to."

Miroku and Koga both looked at each other, dumbstruck, their jaws dropping dramatically as Inuyasha took a huge swig of his beer to stifle his laugh.

"That's the line, you idiot!" They both shouted. "Oh my god!"

"It's not a line, I swear!" Inuyasha said to her. "It's an anti-line!"

"An anti-line is still a line, and holy fuck, that's genius!" Miroku applauded, ignoring Kagome's worsening blush as she stirred the butter into the noodles.

"You guys are making me look really bad." Inuyasha grumbled.

"You look like a hero to us." Koga raised his beer in praise.

"I hate you all." Kagome stated simply, pursing her lips and going back to the food.

"Drink up, Kagome, you'll get over it in a second." Ayame slid a glass for Kagome to catch, reaching far over the bar and the guys to clink her cup to Kagome's before backing up to tuck herself into her boyfriend's arms.

"Tell us more. Enlighten us with your ways." Miroku urged with a wave of his hand, as if beckoning him forward.

Inuyasha chuckled, slightly embarrassed. "In case you guys haven't noticed, I don't technically have the girl yet. And, my chances are lessening the more we talk about it. If you're asking for specific advice for yourself, though…" He trailed off his sentence, glancing over to Kagome to see if she was okay with it.

She swallowed the large sip of the blended drink she had sitting in her mouth, her nose wrinkling at the over abundance of alcohol Sango had mixed in. "Oh, go for it. Miroku needs all the help he can get."

"Um, rude." Her friend said, laughing. "I'm not that bad."

"Right." She stated sarcastically. "And, Sango is talking to who?"

"Alright, yeah, help me." He grimaced, swiftly changing his mind, turning back to Inuyasha.

"Does she know you want her?" Inuyasha asked.

"Oh, yeah!" Everyone boasted, a little too earnestly.

"Ah, so you come off too strong."

"I wouldn't say _too_ strong. I mean, I'd sooner say you came off too strong on Kagome in order to get her to invite you over after only meeting two times."

"Actually, I let her call the shots. Women don't like having shit shoved in their face. Nobody likes that. I was a bit persistent in buying her a drink at the bar, sure, but I never forced her. The option was always hers. If she gave me an adamant no, then I would have left her alone."

"It's true." Kagome nodded. "He was mild at best."

"I'm going to assume you've known Sango for a while and that you've wanted her for a while. She knows. So, don't repeat yourself. What you need to focus on is making her want what you have to offer in return. First way to do that is to intrigue her. Don't put it all on the table at once, it's overwhelming. Subtly do something genuine or sweet, then give her space. Walk away. Leave her curious for more. And, most importantly, do _not_ touch her unless she invites you to. It's the quickest way to deter her."

"You mean to tell me you haven't once touched Kagome?" Miroku asked skeptically, cocking a brow as he took a sip of his cold beer.

Inuyasha shook his head with a prideful, little smirk.

"Oh my god." Kagome murmured, her brows furrowing in realization. "He hasn't; I touched him."

"You grade A slut." Koga joked, chuckling.

"Were you, like, a woman in a past life? How do you know what we like so well?" Ayame inquired.

"I was raised by a single mom. And, I listen." He chuckled.

"That's hot." She nodded, sipping her drink.

"What are we talking about?" Sango asked, emerging from the bedroom.

"Just learning a little about Kagome's new friend here." Ayame covered. "He's very respectful of women."

Sango nodded approvingly, even a little impressed, holding up the _okay_ sign with her fingers as she rejoined the group.

Kagome began to mix the little packages of cheese into the macaroni, noticing Inuyasha's nonchalant nod toward Miroku to try something out, and Kagome had to bite her lip to remain appearing as nonchalant as possible. As Sango approached the counter, Miroku scooted her awaiting beverage toward her, sparing her a small glance. She gave him the smallest of smiles, more in thanks for handing her the glass and shifted her attention to Kagome and the almost-done food.

Miroku stood from the island, walked over to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water, sauntering back her way and gently placing it before her.

"You're looking a little flushed from the sun. Drink some water before the alcohol, okay? I don't want you dehydrating."

And, then he walked away, taking his beer and sitting on the couch to watch the muted sports program.

Sango's brown eyes stayed glued to his back as he walked, then flashed to the water bottle in front of her, then back to him in the most inconspicuous of manners before she tapped her fingernail along the countertop. She opened the bottle of water and took a small sip while she pretended to listen to the small talk between Koga and Ayame for a meager moment until it seemed suitable to get up, following Miroku over to the couch and sitting a foot or two away.

Both Kagome and Ayame had to cover their mouths to prevent themselves from laughing, Ayame tucking her face into Koga's chest to play it off. Kagome looked at Inuyasha who was only grinning crookedly at her, shrugging his brows.

"I'm not sure if I should actually be impressed that you're so good with women." Kagome mentioned, reaching up to grab six bowls from the cupboard.

"Don't think of it that way." He said, helping her. "I meant what I said back at the bar. I expected nothing then, and I expect nothing now. I didn't buy you a drink and bank on it helping me to score or anything like that. I just wanted to buy you a drink."

"And, make me want to know something about you." She giggled.

"Where's the harm in that?"

There was none. Kagome could do nothing in response but grab a bowl and scoop a serving into it, offering it to him with a smile.

Night had set in and Koga, Sango, and Ayame made home in the jacuzzi - despite her sunburn and the discomfort she initially hissed from upon entering - waiting for the fireworks to begin. Miroku leaned on the fence railing that separated the back patio from their private pathway to the beach, and Kagome, having just shrugged on a sweater, pulled Inuyasha to the side.

"Want to go for a walk?" She whispered, trying to keep the others out of her business, because she just _knew_ some of them would hoot and howl inappropriately.

"Absolutely." He grinned, quietly following her out the side gate and down the path to the sand.

They kicked off their shoes as they reached the beach, peacefully walking side-by-side close to where the waves rode up, the night tide following the pull of the moon.

"What's your favorite color?" Kagome innocently asked.

"Black, I guess." He answered with a one-sided shrug.

"That's a shade."

He laughed lightly. "Red, then. No, blue. Blue's better."

"Blue is better." She agreed, nodding.

"Is that yours?"

"Mhm. How old are you?"

"Twenty-five."

"Ah. I'm twenty-two."

"Is this the question game?" Inuyasha chuckled, his smile growing larger as she nodded again, grinning sheepishly. "Got it. Carry on."

"Are you out here on vacation, too?"

"Nah, work. I'm stuck here for a couple months to monitor the transition of one of the new firms we acquired." He answered, tugging her shirt his way to pull her out of the path of a wave that rode up higher than expected.

"That makes sense; you were a little dressed up this morning."

"Eh. I'm supposed to do more than that to set an example, but I fucking hate putting on a suit. Since my brother's not here to micromanage me while I micromanage others, I can get away with dressing down a bit."

"So, you work with your brother?" She glanced at him, watching the small grimace he gave while facing forward.

"I work _for_ my brother." He politely corrected. "For now, at least. Still relatively new to the field. How long are you here for?"

"About three and a half more weeks."

Inuyasha stopped walking, turning to her. The moonlight shined on her dark, wavy hair, emphasizing the mysterious, blue shading no one would ever be able to notice in the sun. The wind tousled her long locks, blowing strands she'd already tucked behind her ear around her jaw and the front of her neck. She was positively beautiful, radiant in this element, and he wondered if she knew. He wondered, if he told her, would she believe him? Kagome was something dangerous, her thick lashes hiding the brown shade of her eyes, her plush lips curved upward in curiosity, and he didn't even bother to further question what had been coming over him since the moment he spotted her sitting at a table with her best friend.

"Would it be okay if I wanted to see you again?" The hanyou asked, his voice taking on a husky note.

"You still want to see me?" She inquired honestly.

"Why the hell wouldn't I?"

"Because, we have a time limit."

"Maybe." He bobbed his head to the side, agreeing. "But, personally, I'd like to use that time wisely. There's something about you that has my undivided attention."

"You don't think it's crazy?" Kagome asked, her tone dwindling slightly as her eyes dropped to his lips.

"I do, actually. It's pretty crazy. But, is crazy always bad?"

Why was it, the first answer that popped into her mind was, _not when it comes to you?_ Why was it, her inhale was shaky and tentative, and her chest filled with fluttering warmth instead of the nippy, ocean air? Why? Why was she so pulled to him, entranced by his eyes, willing to trust this man so easily after such an insignificant amount of time together? Maybe she was growing naive, because she wasn't drunk nor was it hot anymore. Through it all, despite the lack of an answer to the riddle dancing in her mind, she shook her head in reply to him.

"If you say no, I'll understand completely. You know that, right?" Inuyasha continued.

And, for some reason, she did.

"But, if there's a chance that you're interested, I'd love to take you out one of these nights. Anywhere you want. That, or, if you're feeling gutsy, you can come to my place and I'll cook you dinner."

"You can cook?" She asked, stepping in closer.

"Hell yeah, I can cook." He smiled.

"I think I'm feeling gutsy." Kagome said after a moment of consideration.

"Good. Friday night?"

"Friday night." Her grin gleamed brightly, her skin glowing with the radiant colors that flashed overhead from the firework show beginning.

As she turned to face the booming explosions, her smile only seemed to grow larger, happier, delighted, and Inuyasha felt a hard and thunderous thump in his chest that threatened to bring him groveling to his knees. It could have been the fireworks, but he knew it was something else. Something inexplicable. Which was insane for him, because he wasn't this type of guy. He didn't do this shit. He didn't believe in love at first sight, and he didn't get wobbly on his feet just from seeing a beautiful woman. But, when he first spotted her, heard her laugh over the music and chatter, he was captivated, and for something mystical and powerful like that to take over him, he didn't really want to put energy behind discovering the science of it. His energy belonged to figuring out who this girl was as quickly as he possibly could so he could evaluate just what he'd be missing when she left.

—

Despite the rampant butterflies in her stomach, Kagome managed to make it to her front door without crumbling. She took a moment to smooth her short, summer dress over her hips, hoping the light cardigan she donned over it made it look suitable for a first date. She'd packed for a vacation, not for wooing men, so she'd been stressing over what to wear for the last hour and a half. A good portion of her clothes smelled like sunblock already, the few skirts and dresses she packed for nights out with her friends were a little too skimpy for comfort, and the others were too casual for the evening. The happy medium was this white, flowy dress that dipped a little low in the front. The pink cardigan tied it together, and she spritzed a little body spray over herself to try and mask the scent of sunscreen.

Opening the door, she found Inuyasha standing on the other side, a charming grin appearing when their eyes met. He was donned in a black button up with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, the top couple of buttons sitting open and the hem remaining untucked from his jeans.

"Ready?" He asked, holding his hand out, and she quickly double checked that she had a spare key to the place, her wallet, and her cell phone in her purse before nodding eagerly and taking his hand.

"You look beautiful." He mentioned as he opened the car door for her, and it took all of Kagome's willpower not to stand there in utter bafflement at his gentleman-like behavior. He wasn't a stranger to compliments, she was aware of that by now, but coming to the front door to get her instead of texting that he'd arrived? Opening the car door for her? Was he also the type of guy who asked a woman how her day was and stuck around for the detail? Because, if he was, she was damn near ready to offer him her body on the spot.

"Thank you." Kagome smiled, blinking away her admiration as she smoothed her dress to cover her butt in the leather seat. When her legs were out of the way, Inuyasha shut the door for her, making his way around the front and into the driver's side.

"Before we go anywhere," He began, starting the engine of the vehicle. "You should share your location with your friends. That way they know where you are and don't worry too much."

There was no biting back the shock in her expression as her lips parted and her jaw hung slightly agape. Holy shit. She was fucking done for.

Recovering as he glanced over at her, Kagome pulled her phone from her purse, opening her text messages with Sango. "My location's already on, actually." She said, showing him the proof.

"Good. Keep it that way." He smiled, shifting the stick into gear as he drove off down the neighborhood.

Kagome wasn't sure she'd ever been this attracted to a person. It was one thing to look the way he did, which was unfair on its own, but it was another to have a good personality to back it up. _And,_ he could cook. Inuyasha was a living, breathing triple threat. Suddenly, she felt like anything she could say to spark conversation was stupid, or would come out stupid because there was no way she wouldn't stammer thanks to how nervous she now was. All she could do was try to appear normal while literally chewing on her bottom lip, and hope he didn't catch onto her current disposition.

"You know how to drive stick?" He spoke, peeking over at her after adjusting the gear shift.

Timidly, Kagome shook her head in answer. "I never learned."

Inuyasha shifted it, then quickly reached for her hand, placing it on top of the stick.

"Wait, no, I don't -"

"I got you." He promised, resting his hand on top of hers and moving the stick to switch gears. He kept his palm there, doing all the necessary work but letting her feel the effects of it, the vibration, the heat from his hand, involvement. It was such a small act, but she smiled gleefully and he was struck by the comforting sound of her giggle.

"My turn for the question game." He said, giving a little squeeze to her hand. He saw her look at him expectantly in his peripherals, keeping his eyes on the road. "What do you do for work?"

"I'm a full-time student in college. I'm going into my last year as soon as we get back, with an internship to balance out to boot." Kagome answered, still a little nervous for the months ahead of her.

"Are you fucking kidding me? That's awesome! You're so close!" His tone, his expression, the way his grip tightened on her hand for a moment before he shifted gears again all seemed so genuine. He didn't even know her, and his excitement for her was real. "I remember having to do that shit. Didn't have time for anything outside of it."

"Yeah, pretty much. And, I thought this last year was hectic. I know I'm in for a shock this coming year for sure. No extra time for anything fun; which is why it only took a _little_ leg twisting to get me to agree to come out here."

"I'm surprised it took any at all." He remarked, chuckling.

"Keeping up with Ayame and Sango, and sometimes even Miroku, can be exhausting. I was planning on kicking back and binge watching Netflix series after Netflix series this summer, but then Sango said the magic words, so here I am."

"Lucky me." He said sincerely. "What were the magic words?"

"'I'll give you your underwear back.'"

Inuyasha blinked at her, safe to remove his sights from the road at the stop light they sat at.

"She took them all. Hid them from me. Threatened to even give some away."

"Ah, the leg-twister. Remind me to thank her later." He laughed, getting back up to speed quickly once the light turned green. "Alright, what's your favorite food?"

"Bread." Kagome said, grinning.

"Bread?"

"Bread."

"What's your favorite food that's not a carb?"

"Nonexistent." Kagome finally answered, having to have thought it through.

"You're that easy? I could just give you a loaf of garlic bread and you'd be happy?" Kagome groaned in ecstasy at the thought, slumping back into her seat, and Inuyasha laughed again. "So, yes."

They pulled up to the curb, and the hanyou finally released her hand, shutting off the engine and unlatching his seatbelt. He'd noticed her brows furrow inquisitively while looking at the cottage-like home he currently resided in, but instead of responding to it, he chuckled and exited his car, meeting Kagome on her side as she'd just opened her door to get out.

"I thought you were only here for a small amount of time." She said, stepping out of the way so he could shut the door and lock it.

"Yeah, two months. Less than that now, but still." He replied, leading her through the small gate and up the two porch steps to the front door.

"Did you Airbnb this place?"

"Kind of. Something like that, I guess." Inuyasha answered mindlessly, unlocking the door and letting her enter first. "Were you expecting a hotel room?"

"Not gonna lie, that's exactly what I expected." Kagome remarked, surprise etched into the expression of her face.

"And, how am I supposed to even _try_ to impress you in a hotel, Kagome?" He asked, shutting and locking the bolt. He guided her through the little entrance area, welcoming her into the comfortable and furnished living room, then to the open kitchen area.

"Impress me? After all this, you're still trying to _impress_ me?"

"What do you mean? I haven't even done anything yet."

"That's a joke, right?" He didn't answer, instead leaning forward on the opposite side of the counter, cocking a brow. "Oh my god, you're not joking?"

"I literally have no clue what you're talking about. All I did was pick you up, you dork. I can't cook in a hotel room. In fact, I'm convinced you'd only be uncomfortable there."

"So, did you get this place specifically so you could impress ladies?" She countered playfully, leaning toward him along the counter just as he was.

"My brother's assistant booked it, so no." Inuyasha smirked. "I would just never dream of trying to bring a girl back to a shoddy hotel. Especially, a girl like you."

"A girl like me, huh? And, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Red or white?" He softly asked as he turned around and pulled two bottles of wine from the fridge, not disregarding her in the least.

"White, please." Kagome answered happily.

"It means, you're someone worth putting effort into." Inuyasha answered, uncorking the bottle and pouring her wine into a glass he'd pulled from the cupboard. "You're someone a guy should have to sweat to try and impress."

"Why should I believe these aren't just lines you're serving?" Again, her tone was playful, her bottom lip trapped between her teeth as she smiled.

"Technically, they are." He said, sliding her glass toward her as he finished pouring his own. "But, it's also the truth. And, whether you believe that or not is all up to you, but the blush on your face tells me you already do."

Quickly, Kagome ducked her face to the side, shielding herself with her palm. "You're not supposed to point something like that out, you butt."

He laughed, "Sorry."

"Besides, you speak pretty boldly for someone who hardly knows me!"

"Ah, and that's what the question game is for, isn't it?" Inuyasha pointed, sauntering back to the fridge to pull some vegetables out to chop. "You know how I know you're worth the effort? This is part of the game, so don't think I'm still flirting."

"How?" She giggled.

"Because, when we first met, instead of giving in for the drink without thought, instead of just taking the courtesy, or even blowing me off, you challenged me. You looked me dead in the eye and made me work just to convince you to say yes. You basically told me right then and there that if I wanted any sort of response from you, I had to rise to the occasion. And, fuck, I loved it."

"First of all -"

"How could you _possibly_ have a counter for that!?" Inuyasha's jaw dropped, clenching his laugh behind feigned shock.

"I'm argumentative, you'll get used to it." Kagome dismissed with a wave. "First of all, I don't understand how me giving you a hard time made you see that there was more to me. Usually, I'm told I'm just being a little shit."

"Maybe I'm into that kind of attitude." The hanyou shrugged, pulling out a cutting board and a knife.

"Remember you said that if I ever frustrate you."

"If we have enough time for you to piss me off, I'll consider myself lucky." He grinned, absentmindedly rinsing the bell peppers beneath the running faucet in the sink.

Kagome didn't expect to be so taken aback by a single comment. Hearing him say that, seeing his smile, knowing he wanted whatever time he could get with her was flutter-inducing. All over, she felt warm, the budding sensation originating in her abdomen and expanding to cover every inch of her body. It was like he knew all the right things to say, and she dropped any ounce of skepticism she had remaining in her head. Because, doubting anything from this point on would only prevent her from enjoying this time that was proving to be valuable and already the best summer of her life. She'd met plenty of smooth talkers in her adult life, and while a couple may have scored, none of them ever made sure she felt safe and comfortable, seemed to put her first, and successfully made her feel some type of wonderful way.

Skillfully, she hid her expression behind her wine glass, taking a small sip before continuing on. "Second of all, has any girl actually blown _you_ off?"

"Oh, yeah!" He confirmed, bringing the now-clean vegetables back to the cutting board and laughing. "Plenty of times."

"What!? No way! You!?"

"Don't make me relive it, beautiful. I'm not everyone's cup of tea."

"Boy, you are iced tea coated in sugar. Yes, you are!" Kagome passionately and unthinkingly protested, brows pinching together and lips sealing shut as she realized what she'd spurted out. Inuyasha glanced up from the vegetable he'd just begun to cut, surprise, bewilderment, and amusement all painted onto his growing smile. Ducking behind her glass, Kagome took a large gulp to wash her embarrassment away. "Good wine."

"Glad to know you feel that way." Inuyasha said, tongue slowly sliding out to lick his bottom lip, his teeth lightly dragging over the moistened area as his tongue glided back inside.

"Next question." Kagome urged.

"What are you majoring in?" He asked, the smug grin still on his face while he went back to chopping the veggies.

"Interior design with a minor in communication. Can I help?"

"Nope. What are your hobbies?"

"Binge watching shows and sleeping past six a.m.. Give me a bell pepper."

"You can't help me. It defeats the purpose of me cooking for you."

"Don't you think it would be better if we cooked _together,_ though?" Kagome playfully argued.

"I don't trust your cooking. You're a college student. Your expertise lies in instant ramen." Inuyasha joked.

"That's not true; my expertise is in cereal, but that's irrelevant. I think I can manage helping you out."

"You literally just convinced me otherwise." He laughed, moving the cutting board away from her as she reached across the counter. "I'll let you help next time, so back off."

"Oh, next time? Are you already asking me out on a second date, Inuyasha?" Her tone held the hint of flirtatiousness, and she propped her chin in her palm, her elbow braced on the counter.

Inuyasha couldn't describe what he felt when he was with her. It was trivial. It was fucking thrilling. The glimmer in her brown eyes set him on edge and the natural pink of her lips had his undivided attention. Her voice was soothing, her hands fit perfectly in his, her scent was almost enough to hypnotize him, and what made it all so much sweeter was how natural everything seemed to flow between them. Sure, he was a bit nervous and she seemed shy at certain points, but that didn't hinder anything. That didn't turn off any switches or stiffen the atmosphere. It, instead, made it so much more pleasant; like, the air in the room became warm and comfortable as they talked and got to know one another with organic reactions, their muscles relaxing as they quickly grew more in tune.

With all that in mind, he couldn't begin to explain what had suddenly come over him. It was like the answer to her question had to be an action. Like, he wanted to prove how crazy he already was for her. The way her lips shifted from a soft smile to a relaxed shape as she took a sip of her wine had him captivated. Inuyasha gently set his knife down, sauntering over to the sink to rinse his hands and dry them on the small rag on the counter. Then, he walked her way, slowly, stopping just inches from her body, and she turned to fully face him, receive him. Her cheeks flushed lightly, and he couldn't resist the pull to touch her, tenderly brushing rogue strands of hair behind her ear.

"One last question," Inuyasha said, his voice low. "May I kiss you?"

When her lips parted ever so slightly, and her lashes seemed to flutter from how she looked from his eyes to his mouth, he took his cue, leaning down to softly kiss her.

In that moment, there was a grip on her soul that tugged her closer to him. It was powerful yet calming, not the least bit unsettling, her mind blanking as she breathed him in. The kiss grew more heated, more curious, Inuyasha's hands gliding into her hair as her own gripped at the sides of his shirt, her fists furling and bunching the fabric as she was completely enraptured by the moment. Lost in his kiss. Held hostage by his taste. A sensation climbed through her, something she'd never experienced before, her sigh coming out as unsteady as his. The hanyou backed her up, their bodies never breaking away from each other, nor their craving lips, trapping her between himself and the counter.

With a wavering breath, Inuyasha continued to kiss her, his body firmly against hers, and still, Kagome found herself wishing he was closer. She was completely taken over by whatever unearthly power was at play, entranced by this force, by him, by everything. Her fingers trembled against him as they uncurled along his shirt, gliding up his sides to clutch again just to satiate her restless hands. When his mouth slowly pulled away, Kagome blinked her eyes open, focusing on the awe expression on Inuyasha's face. Had he felt it, too?

And then, he took three steps back, almost seeming to try to appear composed, though his eyes spoke his truth. Maybe she should have done the same, but she was still held tight by what had just happened, and like a greedy devil, she wanted more. She never wanted it to end in the first place. What she felt was pure bliss. Invigoration blended fervently with a fierce desire to connect and stay connected, remain touching, never let go, never turn away. So, why had he? What was he thinking? What a stupid, stupid, stupid man. If he felt exactly what she had, he must contain the strongest willpower she'd ever encountered, because she was shaken to the core by the minor separation.

There was a bout of silence, the space filled by the soft sound of their slightly heavy exhales. For once, even he didn't appear to have anything smooth to say. Good. If he spoke, Kagome would only shut him up. She wanted more. She needed it. That sensation hadn't yet completely captivated her, made home in the center of her chest, and she wanted it to. Imagining this was the one time in her life that she'd be able to feel something so intense, she couldn't pass up the opportunity to soak every ounce of it up. And, she was fully convinced she'd only experience this with Inuyasha.

Rectifying the mistake he'd made, Kagome pushed off of the counter she leaned upon, stepping toward him without a trace of apprehension to reclaim his kiss. That seemed to be all the encouragement Inuyasha needed, as his hands, once more, were on her, in her hair, cradling her jaw, gliding down the sides of her neck to hold her solidly to him. Again, he backed her against the counter, but his fingers swiftly slid down to grasp her waist, bouncing her up to seat her against the counter's surface. She felt so hot, that exciting sensation filling once more, like a hose left in a kiddy pool to fill to the brim, rocking her with shudders and trembling as the levels grew higher and higher, centimeter-by-centimeter, more and more. She'd spread her legs so Inuyasha could stand between them, his hands gripping her hips to pull her closer to the edge and solidly against him. His kiss was heated and hungry, a small reverberation rumbling through his chest and bringing Kagome's uncontrollable fingers to grip the collar of his shirt to bring him impossibly closer, finding the noise utterly irresistible.

One of his hands flew to the nape of her neck, gripping there as his hips gave a small grind between her thighs, and as she released the tiniest whimper, Inuyasha raked his fingers up through her hair, furling, clutching but not yet yanking, only asserting enough pressure that caused her to release the real heat of that noise while her hips gave a little roll of their own. He would have probably muttered a curse if he remembered how to speak, but no such luck. It was all he had not to have his way with her right then and there, especially as her fingers began fumbling against the buttons of his shirt, undoing them one-by-one, only pausing when he tightened his grip in her hair just an inkling and created the smallest of spaces between their mouths as he lightly dragged his lips over hers in a teasing motion. As if already well-versed with his ways, Kagome seemed to smile, waiting him out, letting him do as he pleased, and when he released his grip on her dark, thick locks, she closed the scant distance with a whispered but most melodic moan he'd ever had the pleasure of hearing, continuing her venture down the alley of buttons as if there was no inconvenience in the first place.

Just as she unlatched the final loop, Inuyasha pushed her hands away, refusing to let her immediately remove the garment as he clutched her thighs and picked her up, her legs instinctively hooking behind his back as he shifted an arm around her waist for further support. Carefully, he made his trek out of the kitchen and down the hall, pinning her against the wall along the way when she daringly stroked one of his ears. He'd never found himself weak for the sensation, but here he was damn near crumbling away when she did it, and her joyful giggle didn't help any. Inuyasha ground against her, gripping into the plush skin of her thigh as he tasted her tongue, and when she gave a breathy gasp in response, her hands fell so her arms could circle around his neck, pulling herself closer to him.

He continued down the hall, his growing erection painful against his jeans, but simultaneously hot and wonderful. Not once had he ever been this turned on, this ready to make a woman his own, and no matter how badly he would no doubt end up aching from the anticipation, he was going to take his damn time with her.

As soon as they reached the doorway of the bedroom, he set her down, his hand gripping behind the back of her neck again to prevent her from separating from his kiss. Inuyasha tried to get the light switch but only ended up smacking the wall a few times before giving up, the room darkened by the blackout curtains that prevented the rays of setting sunlight from entering through. Fuck it, it didn't even matter at this point. Their eyes would adjust, and he planned on feeling every inch of her to do all the seeing necessary, anyway.

Guiding their way toward the mattress, he utilized the space between to push the cardigan from her shoulders, allowing her to drop it to the floor as he reached for the hem of her dress and pulled it over her head, discarding the article of clothing entirely before reclaiming her soft lips with his own. Kagome finally pushed the opened shirt from his arms, her hands scaling over the toned ridges of his torso before landing on the button of his jeans.

She wasn't quick enough to get the job done, though. They'd reached the side of the frame of the bed and Inuyasha pushed her down on top of it, taking off her strapped sandals and then quickly climbing over her as they both crawled further toward the center of the mattress. Kagome arched her back as his hand snaked beneath, his lips hovering over hers as she felt the smallest amount of pressure before her bra was snapped loose. She'd have shown her shock at his level of skill - or lack of a struggle, really - if she'd had it in her, but she was so enraptured by this man that his bewitching movements, his body weight, and the way he pulled the straps of her bra down her arms to throw to the floor only aroused her more.

God, she wanted him so bad. She was nearly breathless just from the tantalizing way he kissed her, and now he was paying special attention to the curve of her neck, a palm of his skimming over her breast as the other supported the majority of his position on top of her. It was hard to speak, to make any noise, really, unless he, himself, brought it out of her. His body heat felt so comforting, yet teased her all the same as he pulled away to stand on his knees, placed perfectly between her thighs to unbutton his pants and pull them down a smidge so that it was cotton grinding on cotton, masterfully preventing the chaffing from his jeans when he leaned back over her to give her more.

Inuyasha's mouth was currently devoted to her clavicle, and Kagome felt as if she would melt, a whimpered sigh leaving her lips as he rolled his hips against her. Everything he was doing was so perfect. It was everything she'd discovered she loved and more. Like, he had a window into her cravings and was expertly utilizing all the information he had at his disposal, amping it up a little just to soften things back so the sensations didn't become too much too fast.

"Condom?" Kagome finally forced out, her tone feeble and whispered.

"Don't worry, baby." He murmured against her skin, his own voice deep and vibrational. Just that, alone, made her moan, but he begrudgingly stopped.

Inuyasha breathed out slowly, bringing himself back up to hover above her lips. He dragged them over, not allowing her to kiss him as he traveled to her cheek, planting a sweet kiss there. One to her nose, her other cheek, then her jaw. It was like he was taking his time, his lips lingering against her skin as he skimmed downward, his hot tongue coming to play when he reached sensitive spots along her neck. Her collarbones were tended to delicately, then her chest was kissed before he made his way to her breasts, one hand taking residence over the right as his mouth made home on the left.

She was beginning to ache with how slow he was going, taunting her with languid kisses, avoiding her nipple as he gave the soft plush of her tits special attention that no one had ever taken the time to give before. He switched over to the right, his warm hand now squeezing the left, and once his lips landed on her nipple, kissing softly, Kagome reactively arched her back to feel more from him. Inuyasha chuckled, the sound damn near sending her reeling, and then took the perked bud into his mouth, sucking slightly before flicking it with his tongue. She shuddered, biting her lip to attempt to silence the whine that escaped, but as if he was determined to make her fold, he sucked a little harder, teasing her opposite nipple with the pad of his finger.

Inuyasha was diligent to make sure both breasts were treated equally, driving Kagome mad, and she especially found it insanely sexy when he could no longer bring himself to play with the tit in his hand, having to drive it between them to massage his hard cock for a moment, his knuckles rocking up and down along her pelvis. Still, despite his own grunts from the attention, he didn't seem to be in any sort of hurry, his lips focused on her sternum, little parts of her ribcage, her stomach, the underside of her navel, then the hemline of her panties. As soon as his fingers curled within the garment at the sides of her hips, Kagome was swift to comply, lifting upward so he could drag the cotton down her legs to completely forget about once dropped.

He kissed along the front of her hips, his hands traveling up and down the outside of her thighs as he made himself comfortable between them. Kagome thought she couldn't think straight before, but now she was completely captivated by him, her thought process muddled, useless, and debilitated. Hell, whatever this man wanted from her, he could have. He could _take._ He could have his way with her, and she'd fucking thank him at this point.

Inuyasha kissed her inner thighs, watching the way her chest heaved slightly. Something told him she'd never been worshipped before. It added fuel to his fire. He was dead set on personally showing her the treatment she deserved. Providing it was the true pleasure here. Her inner thighs seemed to be a sweet spot for her; he could tell by the way she clutched the blankets above her head in anticipation of each nip, kiss, and lick he served, switching from one leg to the other so she wouldn't get too comfortable. Tempting her to make one of those gorgeous mewls, Inuyasha gently bit into the plush, witnessing the way her body contorted slightly, clearly out of her control, her chest rising higher, her hips leveraging away from him, the breathy sound from her mouth taunting him to reach for more. He held onto the outer sides of her thighs, making it impossible for her to squirm away as he did it again, sucking to apply the perfect amount of pressure, the keen she released in response music to his ears. Each time he bit into her, sucked on her inner thighs, squeezed his hands against her tensed legs, he inched his way toward her core, noticing how breathless she seemed to be. He debated slowing down even more, but figured that would only be cruel. He was king at teasing, but she was the queen that deserved all of the deliberate attention he could give.

Tenderly, he kissed her lips, not wanting to shock her by diving right in, though he'd been dying to taste her. Another scant kiss and then he lightly dragged his tongue within her pussy, his hands shifting to hold her hips still instead of her thighs as she curved her spine for more. She tasted like a decadent desert, forcefully shoving him further into his trance. God, he wanted to hear her voice, hear how mad he was driving her, and he flattened his tongue, licking up to her clit in a way to beg her for the pleasure her satisfaction provided. Kagome's hands flew into his silver hair, gently combing her nails through as she panted, her fingers slightly quaking along his scalp. He was working his way to build her up, lapping her up like the delicious treat she fucking was, his mind running absolutely wild, a groan leaving his own throat when he finally gave in to gift a mild suck on the bundle of nerves. Her hips bucked and Inuyasha tightened his grip, pinning her there, and she gave a shuddering moan, clutching his hair. He followed the cues from the noises she'd make, switching between licking her up to sucking her off, so fucking pleased by her stammering breaths, the way she'd inadvertently pull him closer by her grip on his hair, and the absolutely erotic way part of his name fell from her lips before she audaciously stroked his ear. As if she hadn't learned her lesson from before. He fucking loved it; how she still attempted to give him attention while he ate her out like the goddess she was, how, even though she had a wonderful grip on his tousled hair, she was delicate with the appendage atop his head, how she managed to laugh a little while he moaned from how good it all felt, the reverberation no doubt tickling her pussy while she was simultaneously proud of herself for getting that reaction from him. The little, fucking vixen. Her giggle had been half joyful, half titillating, and like adding charcoal to a fire, he was fueled to drive her wild. Inuyasha dragged his tongue from her entrance to her clit multiple times, noticing how much she shook from his tedious and heavy attention. Then, he began to avoid her nerves at all costs, even exploring back to her thighs, biting, sucking, holding her still as she wriggled and whined. He went back to her pussy, evading her clit as he slowly lapped her up, then transferred his affection to her thigh, intent on giving her a hickey from how hard her couldn't help but suck. Inuyasha trapped her wrists against her hips, multitasking in the way he made it impossible for her to do anything but accept what he gave. Kagome couldn't beg from how her breath kept hitching, her whimpers clenched and strained as she obviously was close to climaxing. Eagerly, he gave her what she needed, licking the swollen bud and then finally sucking it into his mouth, listening intently to the way her breaths became short, shallow, laced with keens as her thighs tensed along the sides of his head. Inuyasha never stopped, and he would have fucking smiled from how heavenly this entire thing was if his mouth wasn't preoccupied, focused entirely on her. He shifted his hold on her wrists to grasp her hands, entwining their fingers so she could shakily clutch him, her body progressively growing more and more taught. Only a little more and she quaked, squeezing his hands, her lungs hitching completely as she came.

Inuyasha slackened the intensity of his attention, little-by-little, not immediately pulling away so he could ride out her orgasm until her body decided it was done. When she began to breathe again, heavily at that, the hanyou released her, kissing her lips in finality and letting go of her hands. She was spent, her eyes closed as she regained some form of composure, her arms limp on her stomach, and if he hadn't begun to crawl over her, he was sure her legs would have closed and fallen to the side. He gave her a moment, stroking her hair at the sides of her temples and behind her ears, treating her with the utmost amount of care until she came to.

Kagome fluttered her eyes open, landing on Inuyasha's patient expression. His features were shadowed from the darkness, but still, with her adjusted sight she could appreciate how handsome he appeared in the low hues. Like, any form of lighting complimented him gorgeously. She licked her bottom lip, raking her teeth over the moistened area in the hopes that he'd catch the hint and kiss her, but instead he gifted her with one of his crooked grins, his fingers softly raking down the side of her neck to gently curl around her throat. There was no preventing her obvious joy from the motion, her sigh pleasurable as she notched her chin upward to give his large hand room to claim her, her heart like a force of thunder beneath her ribcage that she was positive he felt.

"Stay here." He said huskily, and she had no choice but to oblige.

She missed his body heat as soon as he removed himself from the bed, and she noticed, as her knees fell together, no longer separated by his hips, that her thighs still shook minutely from her previous orgasm. She could hear the rustle of clothing as he removed his pants and boxers, hear a drawer opening, a tiny crinkle of a packet, then his weight administering back onto the mattress as he gently situated himself over her once more, guiding her knees open to welcome him back in. Kagome was quick to find him with her hands, his weight braced on his elbows as he laid over her, and she stroked up the sides of his waist, feeling each curve and edge of the sculpted muscles beneath his skin. She could feel the warmth radiating off of him, soaking into her, his chest pressed to hers as he gave a soft grind of his hips, no longer hindered by his clothing. Just wonderful, blissful, searing sensations as his cock glided along her core. Finally, he kissed her, his lips so sweet and tender, and she wanted him closer, arching her back to feel the way his chest hitched when he breathed her in, her hands roaming over his sides, his defined back that flexed as he rolled his hips again, up to his shoulders and then his arms, massaging the biceps that supported him.

One of his arms slipped away from her as he slid it between them, positioning himself perfectly, and he broke apart from the kiss, just enough to hover an inch or two above her face while he pushed inside of her. Slowly. Kagome felt his abdominals tense as he glided deeper, his sigh hot as her body happily accepted him, but when he released a clenched groan, almost sounding like a meager whimper of his own making, her mind blanked and a flush trickled through each vein of her body, threatening to cause her to melt on the spot. It was the sexiest sound she'd heard from him yet, so small and so genuine, so pleased and erotic, more rewarding than anything she'd experienced up until then.

There was no stopping her loss of control, because frankly, she wanted him to take it. Kagome whined for more, her hands fumbling as he barely bucked against her, gripping, releasing, and gripping his biceps again as they were both now back where they needed to be. Inuyasha shushed her sweetly, chuckling as he ducked close to her ear, applying more fervency into his thrusts.

"Calm down, baby, you'll get it." He whispered before dipping to kiss her neck, exploring until she pinched her nails into his skin, clearly locating the key spot and sucking tenderly. He retaliated against her eager fingers, laughing breathily against her flesh when he pulled from her grasp one arm at a time, capturing her wrists to pin above her head in the clutch of one of his hands. Her wrists were so small compared to his palm, it wasn't even a chore to keep her captive, taking his time as he built his rhythm to drive her mad. He gave the reddened mark on her neck a little nip, loving the vibrations that came through her throat as she moaned.

Steadily, he fucked her a little harder, the sound of skin slapping against skin filling the room, and it seemed to be almost exactly what she wanted as he watched her eyes flutter closed and her teeth drag along her bottom lip. Begrudgingly, he released her hands, opting for a grip over her throat, never hindering airflow. Inuyasha kissed her jaw, not failing to notice the way she opened herself up for him, how she kept her hands above her head for him, how she mewled seductively when he took a moment to push as deep as he could inside of her, rubbing his pelvis against her pussy to change up his rhythm, to tease her clit, to see just how much this woman could handle. Fuck, she was so alluring. He wanted more of her. He wanted all of her.

Kagome clenched her fists, enjoying the delightful sound of his heated breath in her ear, the way his pace slowed to an uneven grind. His fingers held her neck in such a perfect manner - not too tight but not too soft; enough to let her know he was there and could do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. He grunted, muffling the sound as he ducked his face into her shoulder, his breath so hot and blissful. Wanting more, wanting to do something for him, wanting to please Inuyasha, she gave the edge of one of his shoulders a small shove, lifting her hips into him as he hastily complied, wrapped one of his arms behind her waist and rolled over, never separating from her.

The hanyou seemed almost breathless beneath her, especially as she pushed herself up to hover over his lips just as he'd done to her before. She smiled, taking a moment to stroke aside the silver strands of hair that stuck to his face, clinging from beads of sweat she also took the liberty of wiping away, taking particular care of the area around his eyes. His golden irises were so bright, they almost glowed in the darkness, bewitching her fully. Inuyasha reached for a kiss, and she would never refuse him, breathing him in as she deepened the motion. Her hips tediously rocked, and she couldn't believe that the softest movement still brought a clenched groan out of him, one he'd intentionally tried to subdue, one that made her sigh in response. Kagome rose to sit straight, dragging her fingers down the center of his chest to his abdomen where she lightly braced her hands - more for balance than to utilize his frame to increase her tempo. She could do that all on her own. Inuyasha's hands gripped the plush of her hips, squeezing slightly as he followed her grind, his head falling back into the comforter as his eyes closed in utter enjoyment. She increased her pace into a mild bounce, eating up the way he clutched her hips tighter, the way his own hips seemed to leverage higher so he'd hit deeper, the way he breathed and tensed beneath her.

Inuyasha looked back at her, completely enthralled by the woman on top of him. He glided his hands to her thighs, feeling the way they flexed as they worked, then up to her waist to give attention to the beautiful curves, then to her bouncing breasts as he claimed them as his, massaging, needing, and observing how a sinful, little pout formed on her face when he tended to her nipples. That look, alone, could have potentially been his downfall, but instead it amped him further, determined to never forget the way she looked as she rode him perfectly.

She started going a little harder, his mind once more growing muddled as the sensations built. Kagome was so goddamn irresistible like this, but he wasn't going to let her finish this on top. He let her have her fun. He let her have her way for a moment. Now, he was going to send her into the best sleep of her life.

Inuyasha reached behind her neck, pulling her to his chest so he could hold behind her back, quickly rolling her over and never ceasing the rhythm. He took over immediately, thrusting against her, harder and harder, her little body bouncing beneath him as he watched it all on his hands and knees. His pelvis slapped against hers, the sound so fucking erotic, mixed with her moans and whimpers that pushed him to a ledge. He knew she was spiraling closer, he could tell, he could read her language easily - as if he'd already had it memorized like the back of his hand. His own grunts and groans were growing louder, almost growls as he fucked her even harder, faster, and when he noticed her pussy clench against his cock when he actually did let out an accidental growl, and the way she made the most delightful mewl and practically rolled her eyes into the back of her head in absolute gratification, he was just about done in. Inuyasha braced himself on an elbow, never faltered in his bucking, utilizing his free hand to tenderly stroke her neck, her cheek, and push the hair out of her face while growling lowly in her ear, coaxing her with gentle words in between to get her to cum for him. Oh god, her body grew incredibly taut, her voice muffled as he kissed her, riding her out harder than he should have as he tumbled into his own orgasm.

The afterglow was peaceful, and he was welcomed to lay on top of her for a sweet moment when, despite her shaking fingers, she softly stroked his sides, then his back, giggling as she had to wiggle one arm free so that she could rake the hair out of his face again, massaging his scalp with her nails as he came down. He got to listen to the sound of her heart pounding, focusing on the melody as it steadily calmed, soothing him.

Worried he was crushing her, Inuyasha rolled off, taking residence on his back next to her. He found her hand, manipulating his way beneath it so he could entwine their fingers, feeling the desire, no, the necessity to touch her in some meager manner.

"Still think it's silly if I ask you out on a second date now?" Inuyasha asked. The two of them fell into a fit of laughter, happy and content and amused all the same.

It took almost too much effort to maneuver off of the bed, and maybe it shouldn't have boosted his pride so, but seeing how much more she seemed to struggle than he, it was nothing short of a compliment. Kagome appeared almost groggy, hardly speaking aside from the soft, little thanks she gave when he helped her climb down from the mattress, and the tiny sound she made when she turned about aimlessly in search of the bathroom. He hastily disposed of the condom in the small trash bin by the nightstand, then took her hand, personally walking her to the bathroom to make sure her legs weren't too unsteady.

"If you touch that dress, I'm throwing it away." He said jokingly as she reached for it after emerging from the bathroom, though it was also genuinely easy to take him seriously in that moment. She glanced up at him, perplexed but smiling, and he sauntered over to her from the dresser, now donned in a pair of sweats. Delicately, he leaned down and kissed her, simultaneously kicking the white summer dress away, swallowing her giggle. "Text Sango. Let her know you're staying the night."

Kagome blushed. After all that, she blushed. She didn't want to argue, but even if she did, she purely didn't have the energy for even a feigned attitude. To stay over with him, sleep with him, wake up to him, she didn't know why but the idea made her happy. In a silent response, she waltzed over to his old, discarded shirt from before, picking it up from the floor and shoving her arms through the sleeves, so much looser on her than it appeared while it was on him.

The hanyou gifted her with that crooked smile she loved so much, looking her up and down as she buttoned it up to her mid chest. "Good girl." He whispered, and holy hell, that was just playing dirty. That, alone, made her knees damn near wobble, and she blinked at him, enchanted and in awe.

"Get back in bed, babe. I'll be right back. The tv remotes are on the nightstand." Inuyasha said, leaving the room.

She searched the floor for her panties, finally finding them in the dark before slipping them on and dropping her body facedown on the mattress, exhausted, ready to fall asleep right then and there before her favored hanyou came walking back in, chuckling at her lifeless form. She heard him set something on the surface of the bedside table before he sat next to her, leaning over to stroke her messy hair.

"What do you want on your pizza?" He asked softly.

"Cheese." Kagome mumbled.

"Nothing else?"

"More cheese."

"Got it. I brought you water. Drink it, okay?"

"There's a twenty in my wallet in my purse. Put it towards the food."

Inuyasha gave her butt a small spank. "Shut the fuck up." He laughed, leaving the room again. "Where's your phone?" He shouted from the kitchen.

"Purse." She replied lazily, hoping he'd magically catch what she said because she sincerely didn't have it in her to talk any louder. Surprisingly, he came back a brief moment later, playfully sliding her cell next to her face, picking her hand up, and planting it on top.

With a forfeiting sigh, she clutched the device and rolled over to her back, sending her best friend a quick message saying she was staying over before pushing herself to a sitting position. Inuyasha sat next to her, handing over the bottle of water he'd brought her before gently stroking her leg.

"You okay?" He asked, warmheartedly.

"I'm perfect." Kagome responded honestly, leaning in to give him a small kiss.

—

Kagome awoke the next morning, embraced in comfort and wonderful body heat. After eating pizza and getting three-quarters of the way through a movie, Kagome had cuddled up to Inuyasha, the both of them indulging in lazy conversation and affection throughout the night before they finally drifted off. Not once in her afterglow stupor did he tease her or complain. Inuyasha, in fact, was incredibly affectionate and caring. He massaged her scalp and combed her hair with his fingers, he stroked the skin of her thighs and her waist, he placed kisses to her forehead. She was on cloud nine, really. There was a point where, though exhausted, they couldn't keep their hands off each other, and he'd unbuttoned her shirt, never stripping it off of her, but opening it up so he could touch and taste her at his leisure. She'd never experienced something so beautiful, where there were zero obligations, just two people in a trance, exploring slowly, sedately, soaking up the way muscles flinched when touched in certain manners, the way breathing increased in the peace of the night, the way it was so remarkably comfortable kissing someone, learning about someone until sleep overtook you.

He'd parted the blackout curtains a bit before crawling into bed with her to let the moonlight in, rays of sunshine filtering through now, painting the white walls in dull shades of yellow and orange. It was early. She could tell by the chill in the air and the way the colors weren't blinding. Inuyasha's breathing was deep and rhythmic, his arm draped over her as he was snuggled to the curve of her back.

As if sensing she'd awoken, the man kissed the nape of her neck, pulling her a little closer to his chest as he littered the area with slow, sleepy kisses. His hand pushed within her shirt, parting the two sides so he could softly rub her tummy, grumbling a husky, "Good morning," in her ear. Kagome hummed contentedly in response, feeling the shift as he began to adjust his position, pulling her to lay on her back as he lazily rolled over her, pushing the blankets off of them as he went. She was almost too pleased to comply, welcoming him in between her legs as his sweatpants lightly chaffed against her inner thighs. She could tell he still wasn't completely awake, his lips dragging and lethargic, but his intention remained.

Inuyasha serenely sighed against her neck, sluggishly making his trek down her body and peppering her in kisses along the way. Kagome's eyes were closed, savoring the affection he so willingly bequeathed. He made his way over her sternum, then traveled to her ribcage, kissing to her waist, then her stomach, then the opposite side of her ribs for evenness. He kissed above her bellybutton, below it, then again on each side of it before coming back up to take her lips as his, evidently a little more awake now.

As he propped himself above her on one hand and further pushed her shirt open with the other, Kagome took an opportunity to soak in the visual of him, the way his short, messy hair fell downward with gravity, the way certain muscles in his arms were flexed from supporting his weight, the way the early rays of light complimented his skin tone. For a brief moment, as she usually allotted, she focused on his chest, her fingers painting over his toned muscles to fully appreciate him until her heart stilled. His chest. His left pec. There it was. The faded and tan, uneven and circular birthmark she'd envisioned. She was so focused on it, she'd hardly remembered to breathe, the pads of her fingers tracing the small blemish that linked her. Then, her attention shifted to Inuyasha's stunned expression, and he looked almost fearful as he seemed to process what was going through her mind.

"No." He spoke lowly. "No. No, no. Have you had the dream?" Inuyasha sat back on the mattress, staring at her with indiscernible concern as she rose to sit, as well.

"The… it's you." Kagome breathed. The small smile he gave, though still riddled with some sort of disturbance, was laced with a modest percentage of anguished relief as he tilted his head and reached to tenderly caress her cheek.

"Yeah. It's me, Kagome."

"Wait, did - did you know?"

"Since last night. I opened your shirt to see if what I'd dreamt was there. The small arrow tattoo on your ribs. And, the freckle beneath it." Inuyasha admitted.

It was taking a moment to sink in. All of it. Kagome was in a state of stiffened shock and confusion. He'd known since last night, but she didn't remember any sort of significant reaction coming from him; not a typical one you'd expect at least, much like the one she was giving now - though, now that she thought about it, she realized he had been paying fine attention to her tattoo. Truthfully, she'd gotten it for her eighteenth birthday and forgot it was there the majority of the time. It was a tiny and basic design. But, yet, it had been his indicator to find her. With the freckle beneath. Still, while he kissed it over and over in the moonlight of their romantic evening, nothing particularly tipped her off. Not a gasp, not a jolt of any sort, not a sign of hesitation. In fact, she'd never felt more adored in her life.

So, why did he not seem happy? This was supposed to be exciting, wasn't it? A good thing? Wasn't it?

"I-I don't get it."

"Kagome -" He dropped his hand.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I didn't know if you knew." Inuyasha said.

"It doesn't really seem like you wanted me to know, either." She wasn't defensive, she was just bemused.

"I didn't. I didn't want you to know. Not yet." When she didn't say anything, her brows furrowing further, and brown eyes unable to confidently stay on him, flickering away unsteadily, Inuyasha continued on. "Kagome, listen. It's bad timing. Really fucking bad timing. We both knew this thing between you and I had an expiration date. I figured if I was the only one that knew, I could handle the weight of it on my own. I didn't want you to have to deal with the pressure. I didn't want you to have to deal with _any_ of this. Not until we stood a chance."

"But -" Kagome felt a little tongue tied, having a difficult time trying to wrap her head around anything. She closed her shirt, fastening two buttons in the middle to keep her body remotely covered, scooting herself off the bed so she could pace the room in a meager attempt to process and focus. She pushed her disorderly, wavy hair away from her face at the sides, discovering the uneasy, prickling sensation expanding in the pit of her stomach was anxiety. Her heart was beginning to pound erratically, and she felt a diluted series of jitters coming over her. "You're my soulmate?"

"Yes." Inuyasha answered, turning his position on the mattress to face her, his expression still ringing of concern, but most likely due to her incapability to rationalize as quickly as he seemed to.

"I thought - I thought finding each other was supposed to be romantic and happy. So, why is this not?"

"Because, you have a full agenda, and it's not fair to be forced to balance out a new relationship on top of it. You know that."

"Yeah, I know, but -"

"No, Kagome, I've been there. Going into your final year of college is hard enough, let alone maintaining an internship schedule, finding a moment to eat something and do laundry, and managing to get all of your homework done while attempting to get more than four hours of sleep a night - _if that!_ And, it's not just as simple as throwing a new relationship you weren't prepared for in the mix. It's a _long distance_ relationship. Once I'm done here, I'm going to Europe for god knows how long."

"Europe!?" Kagome's face twisted, surprised, completely unsuspecting of how much worse this could get.

Inuyasha heaved a tedious sigh, propping his elbows on his thighs and ducking his head into his hands to gain his bearings. She'd stopped pacing, but he could fully sense her apprehension and unsteadiness while she waited for him to respond. When he was ready, he dropped his hands, still leaning on his legs, looking at her with as much mercy as he could manage in the moment. "Yeah. My dad passed when I was a kid and left his company to my brother and I. And, as much as I hate working for my brother at the moment, I can't find it in me to walk away from what my father created. It's a good corporation. We help kids in the system, and little-by-little, we're taking over shit places and turning them around completely to better care for children in foster homes. Europe's the big step for me in becoming a partner, and believe you me, despite my attitude at times, I'm the one with the heart necessary to balance out my dad's legacy. Sesshomaru's the brains."

"Oh." Kagome breathed. There was nothing more to question; that was as solid a reason to not be able to commit to anything as her senior year was. In fact, to her, his situation carried greater validity.

Inuyasha stood from his seat, carefully crossing the room to her. "Look at me." He quietly said, cradling her jaw in his palms and tilting her head back so she'd comply. "Be honest, okay? Logically thinking, did you ever expect anything from this after you went home?"

Kagome shook her head in his hands. "No. I was the one to say we had a time limit."

"And, is there even a sane part of you that thinks you'd be able to find a healthy way to manage your schedule and a long distance relationship?"

"No." She admitted, chuckling disbelievingly. She pulled herself out of his hold, having a better grasp on the situation, but still a question weighed on her. "What were your plans? If I hadn't had the dream yet, and you were the only one aware that we were soulmates like you wanted, what was your next step?"

"I was just gonna take what I could in the time allotted."

"And, then what?"

"Business, as usual."

"That's it?"

"What else could I do?" He inquired, perplexed.

"I don't know." Kagome slightly stammered. "Ghost me? Wouldn't that be easier on you?"

"Wait, excuse me? You _want_ me to ghost you?" His tone piqued skeptically, his expression twisting.

"No! Nobody _wants_ that! But, given the situation, it'd be more than understandable! You'd be saving yourself a lot of stress!"

"Stress isn't what I'd label it." He remarked.

"Okay, whatever! But, why would you willingly put yourself through this? It doesn't make sense!"

"Well, what would you do, Kagome!?" Inuyasha snapped, raising his voice. "Honestly! Tell me! What would you do if you knew a person was your soulmate and you were only given an _insignificant_ amount of time with them!? Would you take it or run!?"

Her eyes widened, her cheeks flushing dully, bottom lip trembling from the unforgiving truthfulness before them before she pinched her lips together in a measly attempt to keep her emotions grounded.

It was his turn to incredulously chuckle as he cocked a brow at her. "You'd run?"

"I - no! _I don't know!_ This is a lot!"

There was a moment of silence between them where Kagome's eyes uncontrollably shifted from the floor to his birthmark and Inuyasha stared out the open part in the curtain. She heard him drag in a deep breath, his chest noticeably expanding before he gave in and looked back at her.

"I was scared. When I saw the tattoo on you, I was fucking terrified." Inuyasha spoke, his tone surprisingly level. "Everything seemed to click, though. It all made sense; why I was so attracted to you, why I understood you, why I felt so connected to you, why I wanted to see you as much as possible no matter what came of it. Maybe I'm impulsive in quickly deciding to live it up, but can you blame me? It's you. I fucking found you. I was up most of the night thinking it through, and the thought of ignoring the opportunity for _something_ made me want to puke."

Kagome's heart sank deeper, unable to monitor her expression as she huffed, her fingers shaking from her spiking anxiety levels. "How cruel is this?" She cynically asked. "This is the biggest 'fuck you' fate's ever served."

"I know." Inuyasha agreed. "I stand by it, though; what I said. I still want to be able to say I took the chance with you than say I missed it."

Kagome nodded, not quite sure what she was acknowledging but still giving him the acknowledgment, nonetheless. She scoured the ground, searching for her clothes and found them on the arm of the corner chair where Inuyasha had neatly placed them, tracking over to them and scooping it all into her arms. "I'm - I'm gonna get dressed and call an Uber, okay?"

"What? No. If you want to go, I'll take you." He said, brows pinching together.

"No. Thank you, but no. I don't think I can handle the awkward and silent car ride back to my place on top of all this."

"Kagome, I brought you here. It's my responsibility to get you home." Inuyasha stated with steady resolve.

"Can you just - I need to digest this, Inuyasha. On my own." Kagome argued, swiveling on her heel and heading straight to the bathroom to change.

When she came out, donned in her dress and cardigan from the night before, the bedroom was empty. The air in the place, though, was tense and heavy. She felt horrible. For the way she imagined Inuyasha was feeling right now, for the way everything was turning out, and for the way she figured she was only making everything worse by not spontaneously jumping into his arms to accept the terms and conditions of destiny's bullshit. She grabbed her phone from the nightstand, and her sandals by the chair, slipping them on her feet and reaching behind to hook the strap around her ankle before leaving the room to seek out her purse. She'd prefer to call and wait for her ride home at the corner, anyway. That way, she could remove herself from the discomfort and begin to breathe somewhat easier again as she allowed the situation to sink through her skin.

Inuyasha was standing by the counter in the kitchen, a shirt now covering his torso. She could see the tribulation written on his face, but when he noticed her, he still attempted a small smile.

"I ordered you an Uber that'll take you home." He said, gesturing to the cellphone illuminated directly in front of him on the counter. "That way, I know you'll get there safely since I can watch the trip, and you won't have to text me or anything."

The guilt felt like a dense liquid in her abdomen, overwhelming each organ one at a time. "Can I give you money for it?"

"No." Inuyasha shook his head. "I don't want your money. I just want you to think about what I said. Deal?"

"Deal." She agreed, giving a meager nod. Like an invisible force pulling her forward, Kagome closed the space between him, hugging him and burying her face in his chest, and Inuyasha didn't hesitate to hold her, kissing the top of her head. This wasn't his fault, and she was scared the next words out of his mouth were going to be an apology. She could see it clearly in his ember eyes. And, all she wanted was to make it go away.

Being held by him was soothing, and it almost felt like he was soaking up as much of the disconcertment she was muddled with as he could. He really was willing to cope with this on his own, wasn't he?

The app on his phone dinged with the common notification that the driver had arrived, and Inuyasha arched back slightly, cradling her jaw once more as comfortingly as possible, then leaned down to place a sweet kiss on her lips.

"It's gonna be okay, alright? No matter what." He stated confidently, pushing some hair behind her ear before releasing her and reaching for her purse to hand over. She nodded appreciatively, resting the strap over her shoulder and heading to the door as he walked her out to the car.

Kagome sighed heavily as she reentered her best friend's vacation house. The living area was empty. Silent. The clock on the wall ticking away seconds as she, for the first time that morning, realized just how early it was. It was barely seven-thirty, still a little chilly from the ocean breeze as the summer sun steadily rose higher in the sky. Not wanting to wake Sango by entering the bedroom they shared, she decided to think things through on the back patio until people rose.

With how jumbled her mind was, Kagome only managed to make it to the kitchen counter, a glass of water in hand to sip, listening to the never ending ticks of the moving clock hands while everything she learned this morning replayed in her head. While she felt less jittery now, she was still disturbed, unable to determine what the right thing to do was. Her soulmate. It was him. It was Inuyasha. He was within reach, yet soon would be so far. Was all this worth it? Or should she protect herself?

Lethargic, shuffling feet came from down the hall, growing louder as her best friend appeared in a large shirt that didn't belong to her. Kagome and Sango locked eyes, Sango looking like a deer in the headlights, probably not actually having heard Kagome come home. Her long, brown hair was a mess - normally pretty straight but wavy and unruly at the moment. The most peculiar part of it was, Sango had stumbled from the hallway that led to Miroku's and Ayame's rooms. Given Koga was here, it wasn't hard to determine which room she'd settled in for the night.

"When did you get home?" Sango inquired as innocently as possible, her voice small.

"Two minutes ago." Kagome couldn't stop the slow-spreading smile on her face. With a small notch of her head, she silently asked her best friend if she'd come from Miroku's room.

Sango followed the motion of her gesture, grimacing slightly before answering with a bashful. "Yeah. Let's go get coffee and talk about it _there."_

Kagome laughed, following her into their bedroom so they could both change into fresh clothing before heading to a nearby coffee shop.

"So, what's up? You're not the cheery, I-got-laid version of Kagome I expected to see this morning." Sango mentioned, taking a seat at a round, empty table at the cafe as they waited for their iced coffees.

"Oh, um, you first. I want to hear your story before I tell mine." Kagome deterred, not even bothering to put too much effort into a feigned, joyful tone, knowing her best friend would see right through it.

"Kagome, what happened?" There was a little more concern that time, Sango's head cocking to the side.

"Nothing bad, I promise! It was a good night! But, more importantly, you came out of _Miroku's_ bedroom this morning wearing _Miroku's_ shirt. Care to explain?" She giggled, teasing her embarrassed friend. Her cheeks were a vibrant red, and she hid the side of her face behind a hand so passerby's wouldn't see.

"Take a wild guess."

"Did you have sex!?" Kagome hissed, laughing.

"Oh, like you didn't already know!" Sango reached over and slapped Kagome's forearm, laughing from her own humiliation. "I don't know what came over me, dude! Or, him! He's been acting kind of different with me for the past few days, and I don't know, I like it! So, we all went to a bar last night, okay?" She said, prepared to get into the story. They weren't far from the counter at all, so when the barista called their names, she got up to retrieve their coffees, only pausing her retelling to thank the girl that prepared them, and waltzing back over to rejoin Kagome at the table. "It was a good time, we all had fun and got a little buzzed. Ayame and Koga went straight back to their room as soon as we got home, and Miroku and I stayed up talking for a little. Maybe it was the alcohol, which is a cheap excuse on my behalf, but he seemed so sweet and mindful. And, girl, I was weak. Seriously. _I_ was the one that kissed _him_."

"What?" Kagome inched forward, absolutely dumbfounded.

"Yup." She shrugged her brows, nodding. "I made the move. Then, one thing led to another and here we are. I did not hear you come in this morning, and you caught me on my walk of shame back to our room."

"Sorry." Kagome laughed. "Your secret's safe with me. Promise."

"Alright, your turn. Spill. You were home way too early, so what gives?"

In preparation, Kagome took three large gulps of her iced coffee, hoping the caffeine would make her bolder in the admittance she was about to give. "Okay, look, um, just try to keep an open mind to what I'm about to say. It's a bit extreme."

"What, did you do anal or something?"

"Sango!"

"So, no. Sorry! Go on! Open minded!" Sango raised her hands at her sides defensively, her expression humorless and sincere.

"Promise?"

"Of course. It's me." Sango assured.

"Alright, so for a few years now, I've been having _that_ _dream._ " Kagome emphasized the words in the hopes that Sango would immediately catch on to what she was talking about. While it was typically well-known, it wasn't altogether common. Not everyone experienced this sort of connection, so when Sango didn't clue in, Kagome wasn't offended. "The soulmate dream."

"Woah, what?" She seemed sort of astonished, leaning forward minutely. "You've got a _soulmate?_ Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because, what were the chances of me even meeting him?" Kagome answered with a disappointed shrug.

"Right. That's right. It's sort of a fickle thing, huh? Not really something people boast about nowadays." Sango bit her lip unsurely, her shoulders sagging. "But, so, is _he…"_ She trailed off, apprehensive about potentially pouring salt in Kagome's evident wound, but all the while hoping Kagome would pick up on where she was going with her question.

"Yeah." Kagome confirmed, with one steady nod. "He's got a birthmark right here," She grazed the general area on her chest with the pads of her fingers. "And, he dreamt of the arrow on my side."

"Wait, okay, back up. Start from the beginning. I need some perspective, because you are far from happy. This isn't what I pictured happening when someone found their person."

"Right?" She giggled disbelievingly. "The date was nothing short of perfect. Thinking about it now, it's kind of embarrassing, because we weren't even together for an hour before he kissed me. Don't laugh, but when he did it, it really felt like the whole cliche fireworks sort of thing. Which then turned into the best sex I've ever had in my life. I've never felt the way I did when I was with him. I was a bit preoccupied to notice his birthmark, though, so I didn't see it until this morning. Cue the freakout."

"Oh, no. Did he know?"

"Yeah, he knew before me. He saw my tattoo last night. He just didn't say anything in case I wasn't aware."

"Wait. He was chill and _you_ were the one that freaked? It wasn't a mutual thing?"

Kagome groaned, taking another drink from her coffee. "Pretty much."

"Why?" Sango pressed, completely invested in Kagome's situation.

"Because, it's complicated. This wasn't supposed to be anything passed a fling."

"And, you're mad that it is?" She slowly asked, trying to gain an understanding on her point of view.

"No. Not at all. The circumstances are what get me. At first, I felt pretty safe when I realized who he was. Honestly, as crazy as it sounds, if there was someone that was going to be labeled my soulmate, I'm kind of happy it's him. He's a really good guy. But, then I saw how afraid he was at discovering I'd had the dream, too. He didn't want me to know. Because, we can't be together."

"Why not?" Sango's voice was small, like she, herself, felt the weight of the sadness.

"He's out here for work, and once he's done, he's going to Europe. He doesn't know when he'll be back, but this is his father's company, so I understand the importance of it and how busy he'll be. With both of our workloads and the distance, it's not fair or realistic for us to try to commit to anything or anyone else. And, neither of us should drop our lives and what we've worked for."

"So, that's it? It's done?" She asked, her shoulders somehow managed to droop further. She wore a sympathetic frown, her brows raised as she reached across the table to gently stroke her best friend's arm.

"I don't know. That's where it get's dangerous. Inuyasha wants to take advantage of the time we have left so that we get something out of this, but don't you think that'd be risky? I mean, I've already grown fond of him, imagine the attachment that'll develop by the end of our stay."

"So, what? Go for it." Sango insisted supportively.

"Like it's that easy."

"Isn't it?" She countered. "He's your soulmate."

"It's only going to hurt him and I." Kagome grieved. "I'm not sure it's worth it."

"I'm actually surprised that you don't. He doesn't seem to have a problem with it. Honestly, I think you'll end up more heartbroken if you left it as it is. Imagine you didn't see him again after today, and this was it. You're so fucking close to each other, but you didn't go after him. The moment we get home and the time is lost, how will you feel? How will you feel when you're knee deep in homework and course information you'll never use after this year, and your mind wanders back to the chance you didn't take? And, when you graduate and you're wondering if he'd still take you if you met again? Because, you're out of your mind if you think it'll be possible to never think about him after this. Come on, Kagome. Don't do this to yourself. It's bad enough life and fate are standing in your way. Are you going to let fear hold you back, too?"

It was as if clarity punched Kagome in the gut. She pictured a scale before her, the chance to experience a small window of time with her soulmate on one side, and hiding from it all on the other. By a long shot, the former won. Because, not only would Kagome be running from pain, which had a tendency to mute all other aspects of the scenario, but she'd be running from Inuyasha. Talking to Inuyasha. Kissing Inuyasha. Touching Inuyasha. Laying with Inuyasha. Anything with Inuyasha would be gone, and if she turned away from him now, she'd also be turning her back on fate. If she turned her back on fate just because the opportunity was inconvenient, how could she expect kindness from it in the future?

How could she expect to potentially find him again one day?

"You're right." Kagome gently admitted, worrying her bottom lip.

"Spend as much time with him as you can." Sango said. "Don't let him go until you absolutely have to."

"But," Kagome sighed, bowing her head in minor defeat. "You guys… the trip…"

"Babe, we're the people you have to deal with until graduation - if not longer. Forget about it. If he tells you to come over, drop what you're doing and go."

"Miroku." Kagome's tone was uncomfortably stiff, nervous for the shit she'd get from her close friend that was a little too protective for his own good. He was a skeptical one, so bringing up soulmates might only make him scoff and ridicule, and she didn't need that right now.

"I'll handle him." Sango shook her head dismissively, as if she would take him down in an instant if he talked even a little crap. "I'll explain it to them, and I can guarantee you won't hear a thing. You've got enough to worry about, so let me deal with them, okay?"

—

She really should have texted or called him before showing up out of the blue, but Kagome had been so focused on maintaining her courage to do this in the first place that she'd completely forgotten about the entire, necessary communication aspect.

It had been over twenty-four hours since it all happened, and soon after returning from coffee with Sango, she began to visualize what it would be like if she didn't take her shot. Much like Inuyasha, she felt like she was going to vomit. She also felt like she could have broken down into an irrational fit of tears. Though she'd already decided to chase after him before it was too late, the envisioned, negative scenario solidified her move.

Getting back to his place wasn't difficult in the least, but as she approached, she noticed his car wasn't there. Despite that, her stomach was still in shambles. Not for a single moment had she stopped thinking about Inuyasha. All she wanted was to see him.

In case his car was in the shop, Kagome forced herself forward, entering through the gate and heading to the front door. With a deep breath, she gave two raps to the surface, waiting a moment until it was clear he really wasn't home. Texting him earlier would have avoided this mess. He would have given her a time to come over, and she wouldn't look like a doofus standing on his front porch.

She debated going for a walk and coming back later, but a pull in her gut made her not want to go far. The pull was so dominating, in fact, that it took less than sixty seconds to get her to resign the idea to leave at all, bringing her to remove her phone from the back pocket of her jeans and take a seat on the top step. Mindlessly, she scrolled through social media, trying to keep herself distracted while she waited. It was Sunday. Realistically, he was most likely out with some friends - like the ones he was with when she met him. Given he wasn't from here, his friends were most likely coworkers or management he found cool. It was almost five, so it was too early to party. Most likely, he went out to dinner with them. Though, he _could_ have started partying early. In a town like this, it's anyone's prerogative.

Kagome decided she'd wait thirty minutes. An hour, tops. Any longer than that, and it'd officially be considered weird and desperate.

Lucky for her, it was only another ten minutes before the rumble of his car pulled up to the curb in front of the gate. Unlucky for her, a nearly-debilitating flurry ruptured in the center of her abdomen, inadvertently sending a series of goosebumps over her entire body. Her moment was now. Through the semi-tinted window, she saw him notice her before even shutting off the engine, though it wasn't until he stepped out - sort of hurriedly, she observed - that she noticed his overtly concerned expression. Kagome stood as Inuyasha slammed his door in his haste to cross around the car to her, pushing through the gate and meeting her halfway up the small walkway.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" He asked before she could get a word out. The hanyou was dressed about as professionally as he was the day she ran into him at the coffee shop, the white button up tucked into his slacks and hugging his body comfortably.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I promise. I should have called first, I'm sorry." Kagome said, slightly embarrassed for worrying him. For everything, really. "I just - I wanted to see you." To her surprise, his cheeks tinted with a subtle pink.

"Were you waiting out here long?" Inuyasha inquired, attempting to seem as composed as usual.

"Not really." Kagome shook her head, taking another slow, deep breath to back up her courage. "Look, it was important for me to tell you this in person. I want it, too. So, if you still feel the same, I'm all yours."

Those words rooted into his heart quicker than a sponge absorbing water. Still, Inuyasha let them hang in the air for a moment until he physically felt the weight-decreasing effects of them before replying with, "I still feel the same."

With a sigh of relief, Kagome smiled lightly. "I know you've got a pretty busy work schedule. Just let me know when you're free or want me to come over, and I will."

"I'm not going to keep you all to myself. It's a two-way street; just like anything. You're on vacation, so we can -"

"I want you to. To keep me all to yourself. I can see them whenever I want, but I can only see you…" Kagome's sentence remained incomplete, the notion of where it was going obvious. "This is about you and I now."

"Your friends are okay with that?" He had to physically keep himself from smiling, forcing his compassion to come forward before he showed how pleased he was.

"Yeah. They're supportive." She said, loving the way his grin steadily appeared. As if his happiness triggered her own, she smiled, biting her lip as an ounce of shyness fluttered in her chest, replacing the nerves that had her stomach a mess just mere moments ago. "So, yeah. That's all I came to say. I'll let you actually get inside now. I'll see you later." Kagome said, turning on her heel to head out the gate.

Before she could get far, Inuyasha snagged her wrist, gently yanking her back over to him. "Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"Home." She giggled, stumbling into his chest. "I came over uninvited, and you might have had plans."

"I don't. I just came from work. Which means, I'm free, I want you, and because I got suckered into going today, I don't have to go in tomorrow. So, you're all mine. That's how it goes, right?"

"Well, yeah, but I didn't bring anything with me." She laughed a little harder, seeing the cocky amusement in his golden eyes. "No toothbrush, no clothes -"

"Bold of you to assume you'll need clothes, but come on." He playfully grumbled, leading her by the hand to his car.

"Where are we going?"

"To get your shit. I'm not letting you out of my sight."

—

Kagome sighed out contentedly, re-syncing her breathing to the deep rhythm of Inuyasha's. He laid on his side next to her, his eyes closed and expression lax, the most peaceful he'd ever appeared in the short time she'd known him. Placidly, the hanyou stroked his fingers up and down her bare back while she rested comfortably on her stomach, incorporating his nails here and there, and soothing away any tension she may carry. Their hips and below stayed covered by a light sheet, the warmth of the day still tarrying in the evening air.

They'd briefly discussed the minor terms of their arrangement on the car ride to and from her place. Inuyasha's schedule was decided on by the way the prior day went. If there were issues, he'd head in early the next day to make sure management beneath his guidance properly followed instruction to rectify them. Sometimes, that involved late shifts, too. Rarely, he'd have to work late and then come in early the next day, but it has happened. On days such as those, he wouldn't be able to steal time with Kagome. Which she more than understood. Additionally, since he wasn't able to set his time as one would with basic employees, he promised to keep her updated as days went along. She didn't ask him to make that commitment, nor had she expected it in the least. It was him. He'd said he didn't want to keep her waiting, or leave her hanging. He'd said he was going to do his part to make sure their time together counted toward something.

Truthfully, it helped her forget the dull ache in her chest. The little throb that came whenever she reminded herself that this was temporary. That she couldn't keep him. When he smiled, when he laughed, expressed joy in any manner, when he touched her - which he seemed to never stop doing, it was impossible to focus on the reality that was to come in a day over two weeks. And then what? That was her biggest question that he didn't want to concentrate on just yet. Would they become penpals? Text buddies? Send emails every now and again until they slowed and dwindled to a stop because the romance died off? It scared her. All of this scared her, and while Inuyasha was good at concealing his feelings, she felt it was safe to assume he was scared, as well. If they kept up some sort of virtual communication, considering the circumstances and their irrevocable connection, it was almost as good as keeping up a relationship. Which would apply pressure for them to find moments in their incredibly busy days to come to respond, update, show the other that they're still thinking of them. While the aspect of it all seemed so simple, realistically it held the potential to increase stress and tensions. Something they needed to avoid. So, then, what? What would happen to them? How would they find each other again? Was this really it? Come the day she headed back to her university, did all things Inuyasha and Kagome cease? It was hard to believe. Then again, so was the entire situation. Almost laughably so. How could she have a person she shared such an astounding bond with presented before her too soon? What was fate's message? It was one thing to never find your person, but it was another to find them and have them ripped away because it wasn't the right time. Yes, they had resources, but how could they responsibly use them without crossing boundaries or instigating expectations from the other? That was one way to demolish things before they really had a chance to start.

Kagome was up so late the night prior thinking about every little thing standing in their way. The fact of the matter was, a relationship just wasn't doable. It just wasn't. That was easy to accept; relatively speaking. If it was her own schedule that caused the conflict, there would be no question about it. Kagome would do whatever necessary to make things work with him. But, that wasn't the case. He had a goal of his own. A very important, passionate goal. One she grew to respect on the spot, just as he had her own. What became the hard pill to swallow was that everything would just stop once they separated. That couldn't be the case. It was impossible to believe that she couldn't be with her soulmate one way or the other. With Inuyasha. There had to be a way. A way to support him from afar. They were already tied by a red knot before they even knew each other; proclaiming themselves as the other's significant other was irrelevant in retrospect. No matter how stressful and terrifying it would no doubt end up to be without him for a large bout of time, even if they stuck to bi-weekly emails, she'd do it. No question about it, she'd do it. She'd do anything for him.

How insane. Maybe it was the romanticization of their particular and special predicament, but the moment she kissed him, she swore she fell harder than she'd ever had before. Was it just the idea of having him? Was she just on an _out-of-her-mind_ level of smitten? Or was this part of having a soulmate? Did the moment you physically connect make you fall hopelessly in love? That was something a Google search definitely couldn't tell you.

But, she was, wasn't she? She was already in love with Inuyasha.

"I'm glad it's you." Kagome whispered ever so softly. His roaming fingers never stopped, and he didn't even bother to open his eyes, though his brows scrunched just the slightest.

"You're glad I'm what?" His tone was groggy, deep and gruff, and she loved it so much she giggled.

"You're so sleepy. Why are you still awake?" Kagome kept her voice as a sweet whisper, not wanting to offend his sensitive ears or alert him to come out of his sedated reverie.

"I'm not sleepy."

"Oh, yeah?" She teased.

"Shut up. I could do this all night." He feebly argued, the gruffness still hanging heavily in his words.

"And, what if I do it to you? How fast do you think you'd fall asleep?"

"Touch me and die."

"I'm so scared." Kagome mocked, giggling again when amber eyes parted, looking at her with feigned annoyance. It didn't last long, his lazy grin taking over as he scooted himself a little closer to make it impossible for her to proceed with her plan.

Inuyasha kissed her shoulder, one intentional kiss unintentionally turning into multiple, slow ones that made him never want to stop. It didn't matter how tired he was, he never wanted to stop worshipping her in whatever matter he could manage in any moment he was lucky enough to have. Having her so close was a gift from the universe. It livened his nerve endings and made even the tiniest touches sensational. His heart would calm, and even he, a half demon, a supernatural creature with the born ability to protect, felt safe.

This was a side to himself that even he had never known before. One filled with overwhelming adoration. Hope, even. Hope that he could eventually love her forever.

Leveraging himself up, Inuyasha rolled over to prop his hands and knees on either side of Kagome, lowering himself as necessary to spread deliberate, lingering kisses over her back in sporadic places. Though her hair had already been pushed over her shoulder from his recent attention, he swept his fingers through rogue strands that dared to impede his path over her beautifully soft skin, pushing them away only to unconditionally be unable to resist the temptation to rake his fingers all the way through to her scalp, her black waves bunching in his hold as he gently gripped until he heard that smooth sigh he'd expected leave her lips, then released.

"What were you so glad about?" He rumbled, kissing down her spine. She hummed questioningly in response, clearly distracted. Forgivingly, he repeated the question, physically feeling the shudder that traveled through her body at the way the reverberation in his chest pleased her. "You said you were glad about something a minute ago. What was it?"

Kagome smiled, enjoying the tickle of his lips as they skimmed over her low back so he could plant kisses over the little dimples there. His mouth was so warm, so wonderful on her naked flesh, organic and sweet, and more than deserving for her to echo her honest statement. "I'm glad it's you. I'm glad you're the one I dreamt about."

He stopped, golden eyes flickering up to peer over the curves of her back, her expression hidden by the angle. But, he knew. He could hear it in her voice, laced with exquisite honey. Such an easy statement for her, and it was going to be the death of him.

Inuyasha made his trek back up her spine, a little more haste in his movements, but he continued to pepper kisses to her flesh. As he reached her head, he gave the softest of kisses to her cheek, her already-there grin growing wider while her brown eyes remained closed, absorbed in his affection.

"I'm glad too, baby." He whispered blithely.

Every worry was gone after that, forced away by such ardency. They spent hours over coursing days learning about the other, completely enthralled in stories and reminiscence, joking and playing, touching, feeling, laughing and sighing tranquilly. Kagome was captivated by his smile, his history, his touch and how he didn't only have one mode; how just a little motivation in subtle ways could make him go from tender to rough.

The best part of all of it, that absolutely topped the calming effects he brought whenever he was near, was how natural everything just continued to flow between them. Neither felt the imperative need to impress. Yes, they still worked toward each other, but their energies ultimately went toward just being. With their limited allowances, it was silently, yet unanimously decided that neither party needed to bother with such trivial advances. Their hill to climb came when they'd separate. Until then, the two's efforts went toward making things as easy as possible.

After days, he finally let her cook for him - mostly because she brought the ingredients, herself, and refused to let him help. It was one of her mom's recipes that had always stuck with her; pretty simple, but delicious. All the while, he tried to play around the kitchen to make it hard for her to get anything done; flicking water her way, gently shoving her aside while she stirred the food in the skillet, kissing her neck and nibbling the tickle spot at the curve of her shoulder to make her laugh. She'd fight back, of course. It wasn't hard to locate his own spot that made him gasp and flinch away in retreat. But, after she served their plates and he poured their wine, and they sat down on the couch to eat and watch a movie, he took a bite, smiling as he swallowed, leaning over and giving her a kiss to thank her for the meal, and unpredictably, she fell deeper in love.

She awoke one afternoon, comfortable on the mattress but chilled by the lack of body heat she'd grown accustomed to. It was an extremely hot day, so Inuyasha had lowered the air conditioner, making it blissfully snug in the little home he rented. He was first to fall asleep for a nap, curled into her chest while she serenely stroked his ears, and after a while of feeling the rhythmic way his breathing filled his lungs, she succumbed to the pull of slumber. So, where the heck was he now?

It didn't feel like she was out for too long, she wasn't in that panicked state of confusion that normal happened after napping for two or more hours, and reaching for her phone to check the time, she discovered that it had barely been an hour since they'd initially laid down. Kagome pushed herself to sit up, blinking away her drowsiness in the darkened room, the blackout curtains really doing their part. The door was cracked, but she could still hear muffled voices coming from the living room, one of which belonging to her Inuyasha. Still in a vague stupor, she scooted herself off the bed, silently leaving the room to scout him out. She found him on the couch, his phone in hand and set to speaker as a deeper voice came through, relaying information that was easy to deduce was business related.

Ember eyes landed on her and his disgruntled expression shifted into a soft smile as he mouthed the word, "Sorry." Kagome cocked her head to the side with a grin of her own, not at all bothered. She was seconds away from heading back to the room to give him privacy when he beckoned her over with three curls of his finger. Happily, she sauntered from the hallway to the far couch he resided on, following his cue to straddle his lap when he muted the mic of his phone and opened his arms for her.

"It's my brother. Last minute conference call. Be quiet, okay? It shouldn't be much longer." He said as she adjusted the skirt of her dress so it wouldn't get uncomfortably caught between them.

She nodded compliantly, snuggling into his chest and tucking her face in the curve of his neck, and he unmuted himself at the perfect time to answer Sesshomaru's question. With a mind of its own, Inuyasha's free hand roamed over her back soothingly, paying close attention to the skin above the top hem of her dress. He mindlessly pushed the spaghetti straps off her shoulders so his palm had nothing standing in its way to massage the area, his girl taking the liberty to shift her hair aside. He knew she would, and he had to stifle his chuckle.

"No, I don't think he's fit for the job. We've gotta replace him." Inuyasha said, and his brother hummed in obvious contemplation. Kagome hoped the meeting went on a little longer. She loved the absentminded attention and the rumble from Inuyasha's chest as he spoke. In an effort to give him some attention of her own, she gave a tiny kiss to the area of his neck immediately before her, and like a trigger, he rested his phone on a cushion beside him so he could fully devote both hands to her. He stroked her lower back a little, shifting down to pull her closer by the ass. She was sure it was innocent. She was sure he was just being completely attentive to her. But, the devious side of her liked it.

_"Your reasonings?"_

"He's a piece of shit." Inuyasha replied, continuing his massage.

_"Inuyasha."_ His brother held a stern tone, almost coming off as a reprimand.

He rolled his eyes, not even bothering to hide his gruff sigh. "He's got sloppy work ethics, he's always reluctant to implement our changes, his management skills are worse than subpar - do I need to go on?"

_"No. That's enough. Is there someone at that location you think would be a better fit? Or should we bring someone in?"_

"Not sure yet. Things are just starting to turn around in our favor. In the meantime, I'd say things would go smoother without him."

Playfully, Kagome scooted her butt back to her original position, and she practically felt his smirk when he played along and pulled her back, his hands slipping beneath her sundress to caress her skin and keep her where he wanted. The conversation kept going between he and his brother, and Kagome pressed languid kiss after languid kiss to the length of his neck, silencing her giggle when he tensed. Honestly, she was waiting for her cue to stop, waiting to see how far he'd really allow her to go, but he elongated the area for her, giving her free rein.

She continued her venture, nipping his sensitive spots, sighing out hot breath over areas she was kind enough to suck and feeling his fingers flex over her ass in response. While this was enjoyable to him, she could tell he wanted to laugh, not at all blind to her little ruse. Which then, in turn, made her almost laugh, because she loved the feel of his abdomen clenching from having to stop himself.

In an attempt to let him know she was serious, Kagome traveled up to the crook of his jaw, a sweet spot for him, waiting for the perfect opportunity in the brothers' conversation to sensually nip in the exact way he liked it. Carefully, she covered his mouth with her palm to reinforce his rule to remain quiet just as he tensed rigidly. And, when he was clear, she leaned back, smiling proudly when he glanced at her with adamant surprise on his face. She stuck out her tongue teasingly, allowing her hands to roam to the bottom hem of his shirt and drift beneath, returning to her ministrations along his neck. Her fingers playfully skimmed along his warm skin, pushing his shirt up as she pleased, but when she heard his brother ask a question and Inuyasha, too distracted, didn't answer, she pulled a hand away and waved it in front of his face, pointing down to his phone. Inuyasha was quick to excuse himself, asking Sesshomaru to repeat the question because the line broke out momentarily, to which the guy huffed in annoyance.

It was so hard to prevent herself from giggling, especially as he gave a tiny swat to her butt for getting him in trouble. But, she knew he didn't want her to stop. She knew she could do whatever she wanted to him.

Kagome pulled back, winking and holding a finger to her lips to tell him to keep silent. His shocked expression grew to one of humored disbelief as she crawled off his lap to kneel between his legs, pushing his shirt out of the way of his belt buckle while he adjusted himself for a better position. Slowly, she slid the end of the belt free, careful not to make the metal clink as she unlatched it and pulled it all the way out of the pant loops so it wouldn't be in her way. Inuyasha had to arch his back to help, highly amused, his smile painted with his quiet laugh as he pressed the side of his fist to his mouth to make sure he didn't make a sound, then skillfully answered Sesshomaru without a single hitch in his tone. When the belt was finally out and placed on the floor, Kagome took to undoing his button, pulling down the zipper, then Inuyasha muted his mic so the sound of rustling clothes wouldn't be received as he leveraged himself up so she could pull his pants and boxers down as far as necessary.

She bit her bottom lip as she was presented with his erection, peeking up at him after he unmuted his mic with a short answer, clearly trying to wrap things up on that end. Having too much fun, Kagome wasn't going to bother on waiting. She dragged her tongue up the length of his shaft, flicking away at the head, loving the effects she had on him. He'd dropped his head back to rest on the cushion, smiling still but totally weak for her. Knowing she couldn't get too crazy with her teasing, she only licked up his shaft once more before implementing a hand and taking him into her mouth.

The poor guy could hardly stifle his grunt, but thankfully his brother didn't seem to detect it, continuing to discuss things that didn't necessarily need to be discussed in that moment. Rushing him would only piss the stubborn bastard off, and hanging up on him just purely wasn't an option. But, Kagome was so fucking good at this, and she wasn't even doing her worst yet. The girl was just getting started, and he was already having a hard enough time keeping his breathing lax. When she got down to it, he was fucking screwed. Sesshomaru needed to end this call if he knew what was good for him.

She took a moment to spit a little on his cock, using the saliva as lubrication for her pumping hand, then went right back in to suck his dick delightfully. He threaded his fingers through her hair, doing his part to keep the thick, black waves out of her face. The bonus was feeling the motion of her head as she took him in, seemingly more and more each time.

_"Inuyasha? That wasn't rhetorical."_

Fuck. "Oh, my bad. You sounded like the teacher from _Charlie Brown_ for a moment, so I tuned you out."

_"Dick."_ His brother spoke dryly, repeated himself with more firmness. It was a struggle to focus on anything his stupid brother said, captivated by the vibration of Kagome's giggle on his cock. Still, he forced himself to answer the question, figuring the end to the meeting was near.

He'd had to grip her hair to lessen her pace, the only way to properly control his own reactions to this perfect girl. That didn't stop her from attempting to take him all the way into her mouth, his head lolling back, his entire abdomen tensing, and mouth pinching shut at the amazing feeling. Kagome pulled back, usually needing to catch her breath immediately after, and took over with her hand for the moment. Her lips were pink and plump, her cheeks were flushed wonderfully, and her smile was the most sinful he'd ever witnessed. Leaning forward, Inuyasha captured her mouth with his, eagerly stealing a lingering kiss from her before settling back into place and allowing her to absolutely wreck him.

Empowered by his kiss and his hand in her hair, and the fact that he'd just muted his mic once more, Kagome bobbed her head a little faster, her hand moving in perfect synchronicity to make sure his entire length was tended to. The grunts and heavy breaths he finally allowed himself to make only fueled her fire, coercing her to once more deep throat, grasping his thigh with her free hand at the sound of his torrid groan, then pulling away to gasp.

Inuyasha stopped her from continuing then, his amber eyes glowing heatedly as he bent forward and kissed her, one hand still in her hair while the other gently grasped her throat, pulling her up with him to a standing.

"Grab my phone. Careful not to unmute it." He huskily instructed, and she smiled, obliging and holding it up at a perfect level while he kissed her, his tongue diving into her mouth to entice her further, leading her backwards. She'd assumed he was taking her down the hallway, but he swerved toward the kitchen, causing her to stumble slightly, and he chuckled at her before spinning her around and bending her over a kitchen counter.

Inuyasha lifted her dress over her ass to bunch on her low back, his girl a little too happy for her own good. Oh, but he'd be a fucking liar if he said he didn't absolutely love that joyful, little moan she did with that gorgeous, sultry smile. Quickly, recognizing the tone his brother was taking, he snagged the phone from Kagome's hand, unmuting it as he'd caught the tail end of the inquiry and pieced the rest together.

"No, Jaken cannot come out to this location. This is my project, and I don't need him trying to tell me what to do." He rolled his eyes, making sure to never halt his attentions to Kagome. He'd pushed her panties to the side, stroking her pussy with his fingers to test just how wet she was. Kagome practically melted in his palm, soaked, and while he spoke, he continued to lightly massage. "I don't know why you hold him in such high regard. Even Myoga is more reputable than him."

_"He has more experience under his belt."_

"And more shit on his nose, the fucking ass kisser."

_"Inuyasha."_

"I said what I said. I don't need help. Got anything else for me? I've got errands to run."

_"I've got a budget sheet for you. Five more minutes."_

"Hit me." Inuyasha said levelly, muting his phone once more and placing it on the counter. Kagome was peeking at him over her shoulder, brown eyes large and doe-like. Giving in to the pleading stare, as if he had any will to resist, he quickly spit into his hand, rubbing the lubricant over his cock and pushing inside of her.

His beautiful girl sighed languidly, the edge rearing off into a breathy moan. He, himself, couldn't bite back his own drawn out groan, her pussy hot and mind-rattling, engulfing all of his aching erection. He leaned forward, inadvertently pushing a little deeper as he whispered in her ear. "Not a noise, baby. Or, I'll stop."

Before she could nod in agreement, Inuyasha slid the phone directly in front of her face, tapping the mute button to release. Appalled, Kagome looked back at him, and the jerk winked, giving her a cheeky grin. He steadily rolled his hips against her, keeping the pace agonizingly slow, and while it was easier to maintain control over her voice, it was torturous. How did it still feel so incredible? Little-by-little, he increased his pace, but he never passed a certain point. He never fucked her. Whenever she'd think he was getting there, he'd slow down, progressively returning to his initial rhythm to build himself back up again. Nonetheless, Kagome found herself holding her breath, terrified that each time his brother paused it was because he'd heard any sort of hitch in her lungs.

_"I'm going to email this to you in a moment. Be sure to read it over. Understood?"_

"If you were going to email it in the first place, why the hell did you have to sit here and read it to me?" Inuyasha retorted, leaning forward to cover Kagome's mouth as he ground deeply into her, surprising even himself when he managed to keep his reaction to the mind numbing sensation in check. She'd arched her back, her hands planted on the counter surface, bending into his slight pull.

_"Because, I can."_

"Prick." He damn near grunted, having to stop all motion as he held his breath to regain composure.

_"Let me know who you want to fill in the role of manager. The sooner that's decided on, the better."_

"Yeah. By the end of the week. Good?"

_"Good."_

Without a goodbye, the line beeped three times, signifying Sesshomaru had hung up, and Inuyasha wasted not even a second in sliding his fingers down from her mouth to her neck and thrusting into her. Hard. She moaned, the sensational noise laced with pent up aggravation from all she'd had to withhold the moment he'd taken her.

"What a good girl." He taunted, now gliding his fingers through her messy hair to grip just the way she liked it. "He didn't suspect a thing."

"You're so mean." She whined, half smiling, half pouting from wanting more. "He could have heard me."

"I knew you wouldn't make a peep." Inuyasha bit his bottom lip, the devilish grin doing something indescribable to her. "Besides, this is your fault. You did this to yourself. Didn't you?"

"No." Kagome coo'd.

"Didn't you?" Inuyasha repeated, giving another deep thrust. The poor girl could only reply in a broken moan, and he released her hair, cautious of not pulling too hard, so he opted for a firm hold on her hips. With a couple more thrusts, she crumbled forward, her upper body sprawled over the counter as she took him in, her mouth hanging open and breathing erratic.

Deciding to see how long he could get away with driving her mad, he lightened his touch, his tempo dragging, pushing the sundress further up her back so he had more skin play with. He could see it written all over her face and the way she raked her teeth over her lip, the way she tried to push back into him, and the way she still attempted to swallow her whines. He didn't know how long he'd be able to keep this up thanks to the simple way she looked. He could feast on her for days, listen to her voice endlessly, making his mind whirl and his insides boil. Her messy hair was spread about, even somewhat covering parts of her beautiful face, and as she finally released her bottom lip to give a tantalizing whimper, he realized it was _him_ that was being driven mad.

"You seemed to really like fucking around while I was on the phone." He teased, bending over her slightly as he increased his rhythm a smidge. She sighed in response, and he knew his voice was doing something for her in that moment. She was tensing beneath him, trying to push back against his hips as a sign, but he pinned her still. "Maybe I should make another call."

Swiftly, Kagome snagged his phone, still next to her head, sliding it clear across the counter where it was too far out of reach in a big _fuck you._ Inuyasha laughed, the move of hers completely unexpected, and when she reached back to playfully smack his arm, he reactively grabbed her wrist, bending her elbow and pinning her hand behind her back. She gave an airy gasp and without any further instigation, he grabbed her other wrist the same way, holding her captive and watching a beguiling and evocative smile grow on her face, her eyes coming alight.

Now, that was just unfair. He should have known she'd like something like this, but still. Who gave her the fucking right to be this goddamn jaw dropping? He'd stopped completely, taking every inch of her in, licking his lips at the delectable sight.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome breathed, barely peering over her shoulder.

"Yeah, baby?"

"Fuck me."

Shit. How the hell could he say no to that? To her? "As you wish." He grinned sinfully, using his grip on her arms as the perfect leverage to anchor himself while he built back up his momentum, done with his taunting as he finally surpassed his original stopping point. She felt so fucking good, sounded so fucking naughty, welcomed each buck and grind he had to offer with mindless and perfect reactions. Their skin clapped together, and he was gradually losing himself, clenching his grunts as he stirred her up.

He knew he was going to have to pull out soon. Kagome's fingers quaked before him, furling and unfurling, her throat releasing melodic keens to how hard he fucked her. Inuyasha planned to go until he absolutely had to stop, his groans shifting to growls, shifting to husky gasps as it felt too fucking phenomenal. Harder. Quicker. He fucked her into the counter to the point where she held her breath, her jaw hanging agape and hands clenched shut, gratefully accepting the few sharp rolls of his hips before he pulled out, ready to jerk himself the rest of the way. Unsuspectingly, Kagome pushed off the counter and spun around, dropping to her knees and taking his cock into her mouth, pumping her head and hand back and forth. She'd caught him by surprise, bringing a feverish groan from his lips as he grasped her hair, cumming into her mouth.

His touch softened as he gradually came down, barely catching his breath while he watched her slide his dick out of her mouth, swallow, then glance up at him with a sweet smile. Inuyasha stroked back her disorderly bangs, leaning down some to cradle her jaw in his palms and guide her to stand before him, his lips immediately claiming hers in a well-deserved kiss. He pushed her back against the counter lining, swallowing her breathy gasp as his kiss intensified, one hand still holding her to him by the nape of her neck and the other lightly drifting over her shoulder, the straps still loose and fallen. She hadn't finished; he wasn't done with her yet.

Skillfully, Inuyasha grasped both sides of her waist, easily hoisting her up to sit on the countertop and pushing himself between her legs, stroking his fingers along her bare thighs as he went straight back to kissing her, his tongue gliding passed her lips to taste and lap her up. Kagome clung to him, her hands around his neck, not yet settling on placement as they dove into his short hair, grasped, skimmed down to his shoulders, his arms, his chest, clutching his shirt, then drove back to his neck. He shifted her dress higher up her legs as he slid beneath, teasing the flesh of her pelvis with a whisper of a graze and then fixing her panties to sit off to the side again. She couldn't even get a sound out as he softly stroked his fingers within her folds, her body slightly tensing as she inhaled sharply. Her clit was swollen, and he gently rubbed it to see how sensitive she was. Kagome's head lolled away from his kiss, exhaling dreamily, and the sound was so blissfully erotic. Inuyasha took to her neck, nipping and kissing, avoiding her sensitive spots completely to save them for last. Like her own personal expert, he massaged her, careful of his nails, shushing soothingly in her ear as she soon began to breathily whimper. His body was close, and he yet again held her at the back of her neck as he rubbed her clit, slowing here and there before increasing his attention slightly to help her build and build and build, and it was impossible for her to squirm too much, impossible for her to get away. She slurred a curse, one he'd never heard from her lips, and he took that as his cue, diving straight to the curve above her clavicle and sucking, licking, kissing. Kagome was beginning to shake, riding his hand where she could, her head falling back to accept all he offered and accidentally slamming against the cupboard door. She'd hardly reacted, unable to, but he laughed into his ministrations, adoring the way she couldn't even jokingly smack his head to get him to shut up. A little harder, he rubbed her, pinned her to him, forcing her to take it all, biting slightly into her neck, and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, breathing erratically, her whimpers hardly audible as her thighs clenched against his hips and her pussy convulsed beneath his touch.

He chuckled as he was forced to stop riding out her orgasm, her clit clearly growing too sensitive too quickly when she jolted and squeaked. Letting her rest on him as she came down, catching her breath, Inuyasha softly kissed her head, raking his nails over her back to calm her.

"Better?" He murmured. She replied with a lazy hum, sitting straight and finally acknowledging the bump on the back of her head by rubbing her hand over it and scrunching her nose. Again, Inuyasha laughed, bringing her forward to inspect the area, himself. "You okay?"

Another hum of affirmation meshed with her own giggle, and he helped her down from the counter so she could stumble her way to the bathroom. And, when she emerged, he catered to her every want and need without decision, without thought; it all just came so naturally.

Because, truthfully, sadly, their end was drawing near. His goal was to not allow her to think about it as much as he did. He didn't want her feeling any degree of stress while with him. He just wanted her happy. He desired her smile and laughter more than food and water. He wished for her tranquility more than he ever considered his own. If presented with an opportunity to shoulder the total weight, the hardships their separation was bound to bring, the sadness he feared, the anxiety, in exchange for her not feeling a morsel of it, he'd do it in a heartbeat. No questions asked, he'd do it.

But, that wasn't possible, was it? He couldn't take that away from her. He couldn't protect her from this.

In the meantime, it was effortless to give her all of him. Like he was in a trance, wholly enraptured by Kagome, it was impossible to fight off any impulse to steal kisses or touch her soft skin. It was unacceptable to deny himself the simple pleasure of listening to her talk about little things that held her interest. Picking her up from her vacation spot was exciting, and taking her back always held the promise of later. When she ran to him from her own elation, jumping into his arms, he rapturously realized he was a sucker, and when she fell asleep beside him, sedated by his tender touch, he honestly felt like he couldn't do this. How could he leave her? How could anything be more important than his soulmate?

Multiple nights in a row, Inuyasha had to rationalize with himself. He had to put together a mental list of why he had to do what he had to do. He was stuck in his own head, so much so he hadn't even noticed Kagome'd awoken, notified only when she smoothed her finger over his crinkled brow as he stared intently at the ceiling. Immediately, he relaxed, glancing over at her, bemusement swiftly changing to a crooked grin. She laid on her side, continuing to lightly glide her fingers between his brow and over the bridge of his nose.

"What's wrong?" She spoke softly, never ceasing her calming motion.

"Nothing. Go back to sleep."

"You're thinking about it, aren't you?"

"Course not."

"Liar."

"Kagome -"

"Talk to me."

"No." His tone was almost pleading, wavering slightly.

"Talk to me." She remained level, comforting, a simple smile pushing her cheeks, and she shifted her hand to caress his cheek.

Observing the sincerity in her eyes, he eventually conceded, rolling to his side to allow her affection to engulf him. Inuyasha scooted a little closer, pressing his forehead against hers, resisting his unstable shudder while he pushed the sheets aside and pulled up the shirt she borrowed from him, tracing the backs of his knuckles over her warm skin.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, almost brokenly.

Physically feeling his sadness, Kagome's heart grew heavy in her chest. She had no idea why he could possibly need to feel apologetic. "For what?"

"I don't know what to do. I don't know how to fix this."

"Baby -"

"I don't know how to protect you, Kagome."

"You don't need to protect me from anything." She shook her head against his, pushing softly into him to remind him she was right there.

"I don't want you to be sad -"

"And, I don't want you to be sad, either. But, think about it. What would it mean if I left with a smile? Being apart from you is going to be scary, and hard, and heartbreaking because being with you was more than I ever dreamt it would be. But, there isn't a single part of me that believes this is the end for us. Do you?"

"No." He breathed without an ounce of hesitation, the exhale alleviating some of the tightness in his chest. "No. Fuck, no. I could never let you go forever."

"I hope not." She smiled, ignoring the tears brimming in her eyes as she pressed a delicate kiss to his lips. "I understand, you know that right?"

He nodded, eyes closed, basking in her scent, the heat of her breath against his lips, his fingers tracing the exact spot he knew her tattoo was in thanks to the slightly raised lines from the heavy hand that'd inked her. "You know I'm not just going to drop you, right?" He countered. "I may not currently be able to commit to the amount of attentiveness in a relationship that you deserve, but I'm not going to leave you high and dry just to come back when I'm good and ready. I want updates from you. I want pictures. If I don't respond, it's only because I'm busy, but don't ever think I'm ignoring you. Got it?"

Kagome nodded, smiling. "And, you'll do the same for me?"

"Of course, I will. You're as good as mine. Nothing's gonna fucking change that. Literally nothing can."

She hadn't wanted to go to sleep after that. He could tell she was feeling it while covering her anxiety with a sleepy smile. He knew that no matter how much he swallowed so that she wouldn't feel an ounce of disconcertment, she'd still wake up in the morning knowing it was her last, full day in town. And, he had to work through it.

He spent all hours of the night and early morning stroking her hair, caressing her skin, and she finally succumbed to sleep when she cuddled into his chest, right against his birthmark, and listened to his heartbeat until it lulled her away. Inuyasha remained awake, holding her, soaking her in as much as he could. No matter what she said, the promises they'd made, the question still repeated in his head to build torment in his chest: _How could he leave her?_

Inuyasha had turned off his alarm before it went off around six in the morning, slowly and gently rolling out of bed so as not to rouse the person who held his soul. His steps were silent as he crossed to the walk-in closet, and he hung in the doorway of it, leaning against the frame while he stared listlessly at the shadowed contents - not having bothered to turn on the light. He wasn't sure just how long he'd stood there, the question so heavy in his gut that it threatened to make him sick. His fingers were unsteady, his throat felt like something thick had developed in the center, his chest ached, and then arms wrapped around his waist from behind, clearing his mind instantaneously.

He glanced over his shoulder, hardly able to see her from the way she hugged so close to his back. "You're not supposed to be up yet."

Kagome, still holding around his waist, maneuvered her way around him, and he lifted his arm out of her path so she could tuck her head into his chest. The pain he felt was gone, pushed aside by her angelic aura, and Inuyasha held her to him, kissing the top of her head.

"You okay?" He whispered. Kagome nodded, hugging him just a little tighter. He'd be a fool if he thought he'd be able to concentrate at work today, and an even bigger one if he let her go. He slipped a hand into the pocket of his sweats, pulling out his cell phone and calling the manager under his lead at this location. "Hey, I've got a pretty nasty case of food poisoning. Can you handle it on your own today?"

Kagome peeked up, surprised, ember eyes meeting hers contentedly.

"Good. I'll check my emails here and there. Let me know if you have any questions." And, he hung up the call, sliding his phone back into his pocket. He placed a sweet kiss to Kagome's forehead, his fingers threading through her hair above her ears. "I'm all yours today, baby."

Kagome smiled gratefully, her hands gliding to his waist where she gave him a little pull, getting him to guide her back to the bed. Their moments throughout were bittersweet, appreciated but anxiety-inducing as time ticked away, both of them content to make the best of what they had left. She'd never imagined she'd see Inuyasha look as wounded as he did, and never in her life did she ever want to see him have to mentally remind himself to smile again. Both of them were putting all they had into keeping composure, distracting the other from the obvious with playful remarks and endless love making.

She knew she was bound to cave soon. Bound to break. She just didn't want it to be around him. His character would force him to want to make it better, and why should he try to take her pain away when she could hardly do the same for him?

Their sleep through the night was broken, pleasantly so. If one awoke, commonly due to their restless minds and straining hearts, they smoothed away their fears by kissing the other until they felt better, satiated for the moment. How could she leave him?

Come morning, as he drove her back, he'd offered to help her and her friends pack up, but she knew that would be the moment reality really set in. Her heart was pounding at the mere thought of seeing the house in the distance; she could only imagine what seeing the car packed up would do to her. Kindly, she declined, saying it wouldn't take long and she'd come back to say goodbye before they hit the road. He seemed to understand, but still, the hitch in his tone caused her chest to throb.

"Promise?" Inuyasha asked, pulling up to the curb. Kagome unbuckled her seatbelt, leaning over the center column to kiss him, lingering, her sigh heated as she tried to solidify her assurance to him.

"I promise. I'll let you know when we're on our way, okay?" As she went to get out of the car, Inuyasha reached for her jaw, pulling her back to him as he deeply kissed her, stroking his thumb over her cheek as he felt her lean further into him.

Each step toward the front door was heavy and forced, like the closer she got, the denser the invisible pool of sludge she wafted through became. With a deep breath, Kagome coerced herself inside, swallowing thickly to hide her troubles and sauntering through to the living area. Ayame, Sango, and Miroku all looked up at her, and though they attempted to appear casual, she could see the caution written all over their faces.

"Where's Koga?" She asked as normally as possible.

"Oh, uh, he had to head back a couple of days ago, remember? Football training is starting tomorrow, and he still needed to get a few things." Ayame replied, smiling.

Kagome sighed, laughing lightly at herself. She'd forgotten. She'd even said goodbye to him, and she'd forgotten. "That's right. What can I help with?"

"Well, we've got almost everything covered." Sango mentioned softly. "I even started packing up your things a little bit for you. We can handle the rest."

"Yeah, we're almost ready to go." Ayame added. Kagome froze, trying not to reveal her panic. She'd counted on spending at least a couple of hours getting things organized and strapped in the car, she'd counted on at least a couple of hours of cushion before she had to say goodbye.

She was reaching the end of her rope, her abdomen tensing as she struggled to seem put together in front of everyone, and she nodded with a forced smiling, saying she'd go get her things packed up before turning on her heel and heading to the bedroom. It was pretty clean, but she was so desperate for time, Kagome nearly debated on wrecking the room so she'd have no choice but to clean it up again. She wasn't ready. _She wasn't ready._

Silencing her thoughts, Sango followed her into the bedroom, wearing a careful smile that she forced herself not to look at. "Hey, how'd it go?"

"We haven't done it yet." Kagome said, cursing herself for her inability to prevent her obviously wavering tone, lifting her suitcase onto the bed and throwing it open so she could empty the dresser of her clothes. "Is it okay if we stop at his house on the way?"

"Of course." Sango firmly agreed with zero hesitation. She watched her friend's unsettled movements, how her chin quivered, knowing she was hurting. She seemed antsy, shaky even, brown eyes bouncing unevenly from the dresser to her suitcase to the bathroom. "You want to talk about it?"

"I really, _really_ don't." Kagome admitted, turning her head as her face scrunched with bottled anguish. She could see her best friend nod in her peripherals, taking a few steps back before heading out the opened door.

"I'll be out here if you need anything, babe." She offered, shutting it behind her.

"How is she?" Miroku asked, worried, stiff.

Sango shook her head, sighing, helplessly glancing to the floor, then to him. "Not good. She doesn't want to talk."

Ayame bit her bottom lip in concern, returning to the kitchen to continue packing up the leftover snacks. The tension in the house was sliceable, gloomy, all of them feeling sympathetic for the girl with the soulmate she couldn't yet be with. Sango was about to begin putting the miscellaneous electronics they'd brought together, and as Miroku stood, catching her attention, she could tell by the look in his eye that his focus was glued to the person who definitely needed it most. He shook his head at her in a silent way to say not to stop him, and he made his way over to the closed room, walking through quietly.

Kagome could barely hold it in any longer, trying to blink away hot tears as she gathered the few bathroom things on the sink counter. Her features were crumbling as the ache in her chest increased more and more by each passing second, with each item she grabbed, with each step she took further away from him.

"Hey."

She spun around, sniffling to clear away the immediate distress and sloppily wiping her hands over her cheeks. Miroku stood in front of the closed bedroom door, observing her with straight-laced empathy. She hadn't even heard him enter. Still, she smiled weakly, about to veer the subject away from herself when he plainly shushed her, quickly closing the space between the to pull her into a hug.

Immediately, Kagome broke, wracked with sobs she couldn't silence as she quaked against Miroku's frame. His arms wrapped around her tight, supporting her, his chin propped atop her head as he let her cry, let her shatter with no pressure whatsoever to feign her equanimity.

"It's going to be okay, Kagome." Miroku promised, never loosening his hold, and she, herself, tightened hers. "You're soulmates; neither of you guys are going anywhere. Just as your time with him now was temporary, so will be your time apart."

That seemed to calm her a bit, her breathing heavy and unsteady. Still, he didn't let go, perfectly prepared and willing to stand with her as long as necessary.

"So many people are desperate to know their futures. They go to psychics, they read tarot, they spend money online for cheap, fraudulent readings only to walk away with virtual hope, but you don't have that. You're so fucking lucky, Kagome, because you _know_ your future. You _know_ where you're going, and you _know_ who you'll end up with. Nothing's for certain for most people, but for you, one thing is. One person is."

Kagome was progressively stilling in his arms, sniffling but taking in every word he said. When she felt okay enough, she leaned back, glancing up at him, and her friend cradled her jaw compassionately.

"You guys have got your own things going right now, and that's okay, but consider this: When he's done and he comes back from Europe - or whatever the hell he's doing - think of how much time he'll have to devote to you. He seems smart. I mean, he knows how to pick 'em." Miroku smiled, cherishing his friend's meek giggle. "That guy's gonna sweep you off your feet and steal you away the moment he's able to. You just have to be patient. And, that's the hard part, I know. It'll all work out, though."

Kagome, though tears continued to fall, breathed in recovery, nodding in acknowledgment as she tucked herself back into his chest for another hug. She felt better, but weight still clung to her shoulders. The hardest part wasn't over yet.

They locked up the house after several more walks through the place to make sure nothing was forgotten, and got themselves situated in the car; Sango and Ayame up front, and Miroku and Kagome in the back. With Kagome's direction, she led them to Inuyasha's place where Sango pulled up to the curb across the street, putting the gear in park, rolling down the windows, and then shutting off the engine. Ayame turned back to Kagome from the passenger seat, giving her a sympathetic smile.

"Take your time. Don't rush anything." She said, and Sango turned back to nod in agreement.

Kagome thanked them, jumping out of the car and safely crossing the street to enter his front gate, her heart throbbing with each step she took up the small walkway, up the two porch steps, and to the door where she knocked and waited. It was mere seconds before Inuyasha opened up, giving a friendly and subtle wave to her friends across the street and moving aside for Kagome to enter through.

He shut the door, a burning in his throat as everything became too real for comfort. She didn't travel far at all, staying very close to his side in agonizing silence, her brown eyes not even able to meet his face. And, he didn't fucking blame her. He knew this would be hard, but _fucking shit_ , this was nothing short of brutal.

Grabbing her hand, he guided her towards the living room so there was more room to breathe, though the thickness in his chest had made home for good. "Look, whatever you say, just don't let it be 'goodbye.'" He finally spoke, gruffly.

"I'm gonna miss you." Kagome whispered, her bottom lip trembling. She began to fold, the pressure of her sadness robbing her of her breath and her stability. Inuyasha smoothed some hair behind her ear, seeming to attempt a meager smile, but he couldn't. Still, his bright eyes met hers with honest sincerity, and his brow crinkled sorrowfully.

"You have no idea how much I'll miss you." He said. She began to cry, her cheeks flushing and her inhales broken. It hurt so much to see her like this. It hurt so much that in just a moment or two, he'd have to let her go. It hurt. It all hurt so fucking much, and his composure became increasingly rocky.

"We'll still talk, right?"

"Of course, we will." He reassured.

"And, you won't forget about me?" Fuck, she sounded so fractured, it was killing him.

"What kind of a stupid question is that? Listen to me, Kagome." Inuyasha started, pressing his forehead to hers. He softly wiped her tears away with his thumbs, cradling her face in his palms as she gripped the sides of his arms. "It's going to be impossible to forget you. You are my soulmate. You're my person. Distance isn't going to change that. I promise, I'll come back. I promise, we'll make things work. We've just gotta get through this."

"I know." Kagome breathed, nodding against his head as she swallowed for some calmness. "I'm just scared to leave."

"Why?"

"A part of me is terrified I'll never see you again." She cried, losing all sense of stillness as her body shook.

Inuyasha broke, because that's exactly what he feared, too. He pulled her into a kiss, unable to stop himself from shaking against her body, his eyes burning as he shut them even tighter to prevent his own tears from spilling, but he failed. How could he leave her?

It was like she read his mind, shuddering and breaking apart from him, but never pulling passed an inch, her breath hot on his mouth. "You have to do this, though, and so do I. You have to become a partner at your father's company, and I have to graduate from college." She smiled, and though her cheeks were red and blustery, her cheeriness was still genuine. God, Inuyasha almost broke again. "When you come back and tell me you did it, I'm gonna be so proud of you! Just make sure you come back, okay? Come back. I'll be waiting."

"I'll come back. I promise."

"And, I'll send you updates and pictures."

"Good. That's exactly what I want." He chuckled, kissing her again as he pulled her impossibly closer. "You gotta be strong for me. This is gonna fucking suck, and we know it, but you don't have to worry. You'll see me again. I fucking swear it. I'll send you pictures, too. We'll video call when we can. I still have so much more to learn about you, you think I'm gonna pass that up?" Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of her head as he tucked her into his chest, soaking in her scent in the hopes that it'd never leave him. Kagome's arms encircled his waist, clutching the back of his shirt desperately as she breathed deeply to try and stop crying.

"I'm gonna miss you." She repeated waveringly.

"I know, baby." He shushed, holding her tighter. "Me, too."

When they were ready, and he'd cleaned the evidence of her tears from her face, taking his time to be as tender as possible, he walked her out to the car, holding her hand the entire way. Her friends were quiet, playing respectful by not staring directly at them as Inuyasha twisted Kagome around before her car door, placing a lingering kiss to her forehead.

"Eventually, my forever." He whispered.

A ripple went through Kagome's chest, challenging her steadiness as she glanced up at him, smiling, and poking him right where his birthmark was beneath his shirt, whispering in return, "Soulmate. Forever."

Inuyasha grinned, opening the door for her so she could climb in, and once her legs were out of the way, he shut it. He braced a hand on the open window, grazing his knuckles of the other under her chin so she'd look fully at him.

"I love you." Inuyasha said. She smiled, her faltering giggle showing how close she was to breaking down again.

"I love you." Kagome stated, placing her hand on top of his.

"You ready?"

"No." She shook her head, chin quivering as her face slightly crinkled from fighting the tears.

Placidly, Inuyasha waited, knowing not a single person was bothered, and uncaring if they would have been. "Will you text me when you get home so I know you're safe?"

Kagome nodded, squeezing his hand.

"Take care of her." Inuyasha said to Sango just as she'd looked at him from her window.

"I will." She replied with a gentle tone.

Kagome leaned toward him for one last kiss, and her soulmate didn't pause in giving her what she wanted. What she needed. Parting bittersweetly, he wiped her tears again, taking every bit of her in as she took a deep breath.

"Ready." Kagome whispered.

"That's my strong girl. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay." She smiled weakly.

Their hands separated slowly, and when he was no longer there to touch, backing away to cross to his side of the street, Kagome began to feel completely empty. Blindly, for support, she reached over to Miroku and he quickly took her hand, squeezing it tight. Sango started the car, and Kagome's eyes never left Inuyasha's. He looked sad. He looked broken. He smiled.

"Ready?" Sango asked, looking back at Kagome.

She trembled, crying, then held her breath, giving Inuyasha the sweetest smile she could muster as she waved. "Yeah." She whispered, and Sango shifted to drive, pulling from the curb.

She began to sob, trying to keep it to herself but Miroku pulled her to him, stroking her hair for as much comfort as he could provide.

Inuyasha watched until their car disappeared in the distance, tormented, terrified, loathing the universe and the cruel card they'd been dealt. How quickly he'd fallen, how quickly he'd shattered. He forced himself back inside, the furnished house feeling empty and lonely, and he feared that's what life would be without her. His heart had sunken deep, and giving in, unable to bite it back any longer, Inuyasha cursed loudly with a choked sob, grabbing the nearest glass in the kitchen and smashing it against the wall.


	2. Chasing the Seasons - The Epilogue

It was hard. It was impossible not to think of each other throughout the entirety of every single, passing day.

Maybe it was a blessing, but within the week of returning from their trip, Kagome was thrown right back into the swing of things. She had to scramble to buy the two books she still needed - one she got lucky with, the other she had to purchase from an overpriced seller on eBay, get any other necessary items for the term ahead, make sure all registration was properly done, and get herself re-acclimated to a generally normal sleeping schedule. She stayed busy. Busy enough not to constantly wonder how Inuyasha was fairing. But, unfortunately, that never prevented her from incessantly checking her phone.

The habit came on quickly and was difficult to kill off. In her spare moments to breathe came her opportunities to light up the notifications page. Even in class, jotting down notes, listening to the professor drone on and on, Kagome just couldn't stop herself from tapping her phone's screen to see if she'd missed anything while her cellphone sat directly next to her notebook. There was nothing to expect, she was aware of this. She was forewarned of their unaligned schedules. She was aware they weren't in a relationship. This was what they'd tried to prevent; the thick feeling of unintentional dejection that clung to the insides of their chests like tar.

Was it ironic that Kagome was still knocked down to her ass? No. She wasn't sure irony was the right definition of this. The truth was, unknowingly so, she and Inuyasha had contradicted themselves from the start. It was all innocent in the moment, wanting to soak up every minute with your soulmate until you couldn't anymore. Trying to make the best of a given situation. It made sense then. Hell, she even knew this was going to hurt when they had to part, but no one could have ever prepared her for the aftermath.

See, it wasn't a relationship the two should have planned to avoid, even if it was for the sake of ease. The moment they connected with each other, they were set in stone. That's not your typical, monogamous relationship. What Sango and Miroku had, what they'd worked to build - _that_ was a relationship. They chose each other. But, fate chose Inuyasha for Kagome. That red string tied their souls together, one half fulfilling the other, so what they had was an irrevocable, irreversible, and irreplaceable bond. They had a companion. A partner. Yes, all synonym's for a "relationship," but vastly different in context. A relationship you could turn off. You could end it. You could do so by bitterly cutting ties, or mutually understanding things weren't working. You couldn't do that with a soulmate, though. Having a soulmate is the universe's way of saying, _"Hey, I made this person for you. They're pretty and nice. You'll like them, I promise. You'll like them so much, you'll literally never feel whole without them once you meet. It's not a flaw in the design, trust me, I know what I'm doing."_

In other words, the distress they wanted so badly to avoid, the obligation they felt toward one another, it was all entirely inevitable. What they, instead, should have done was prepared their minds and bodies to have to adjust to the emptiness. Because, eventually it would dull. Eventually, it did dull. The ride to that point, though, was nothing short of crippling.

He wished he'd known exactly what to say when he'd discovered who she was, what she was bound to mean to him. He wished he'd understood the conflict in his argument and how he was so wrong. A part of him even wished they'd never met. Not yet, at least. Much like how he'd originally hoped she hadn't dreamt of him so he could carry the burden alone and find her in the future. He was insane. Absolutely, confoundingly mental. Since when had he developed a glass heart? The moment he heard her laugh, saw her in that dress, spoke to her, felt the powerful pull toward her. That's when. He'd say it was the moment they kissed, because logically, that was the _exact_ moment it happened, but he had to be real with himself. If he'd turned away and ignored her presence from the start, there was still a part of him, a significantly smaller part but a part nonetheless, that would have felt lost. Lost was still better than broken, though.

Inuyasha had decided after the second week that he was going to pull away. In the moment, he understood the rationality behind it. It was to deaden the senses toward one another. It would make it easier in the long run. They'd grow used to the other hardly being there, they'd go about their lives, they'd get excited when one of them popped up on the other's phone for a quick and friendly check in because it was so rare, then go about their business. Wash, rinse, repeat until the day they could properly reunite. It had to happen. He was miserable, and even though she wasn't saying anything, he knew she was, too. That was after _two_ _weeks_. Fourteen days without the other. He kept checking his phone, he was physically fighting the urge to call her, he was forcefully throwing himself into his work so he wouldn't continuously consider dropping it all to run off with her before it was too late. So, it only made sense to cut the chord. This wouldn't work if he didn't. This would only drive them crazy and encourage the ache that lived in their chests to rampantly deepen as if it owned them.

Oh, was he so _fucking_ wrong.

Everything worsened. So bad, he felt sick sometimes. He'd wake up at three in the morning with the heaviest sadness climbing the walls of his stomach and threatening to make him vomit. His lungs sometimes acted as if they couldn't hold a full inhale of air anymore, and his exhales were shallow and dry. He was angry. Always angry. He had a short temper to begin with, but even he would catch himself on occasion and realize he needed to chill. His work was being affected negatively, his appetite was shot, sleep gradually became a thing of the past, and as the main turmoil seemed to dwindle after a while and he felt dull, listless, he became known as "cold" around his immediate peers. He detested himself. He could see it clearly, but it was so difficult to correct his demeanor when he didn't have much ambition to do self work on top of his professional labor. He was becoming Sesshomaru.

He'd sunken. Deeper than his bitterness. He'd sunken so far, it was laughable. The answer was right in front of his face. Clear as day. This was his doing. He was the cause of his own misery. Why would he ever think creating a larger distance from her was a good idea? She wasn't your average girl he had a nice conversation with and would eventually like to see again. She was a being literally born for his sake. And, he was born for hers.

Two months and four agonizing days later, and Inuyasha had finally come to his senses. He couldn't continue this. He just couldn't. What he'd done was essentially attempt to withdraw his soul from the match until it was suitable for him. He'd attempted to go against fate, and fate was giving him the hell he deserved. He could only hope Kagome didn't feel the weight of his idiotic mistake, too. It was bad enough picturing her feeling alone in this, because it's not like he was acting as much support, but imagining her crushed with withdrawal pain as well was just something he couldn't live with.

Inuyasha could have texted. He could have called. He sat staring at his phone for hours, a murky liquid sloshing in his chest as if a clogged drain kept the remnants of this toxicity from leaving his body. Text messaging wouldn't suffice. It would do nothing for him at this point. A phone call would be better; he'd at least be able to hear her voice. Still, it wasn't good enough. The only thing that would be was seeing her beautiful features with his own eyes. He felt so horrible. Awful. He thought life's plan would be his enemy, but truthfully, it was him. He was his enemy. This was his fault. And, if she didn't answer, he deserved nothing less.

Kagome gently tapped her finger against a key on her keyboard, not quite pressing into it, just hitting her nail against the plastic square for the sound as she sorted out her thought process before typing out the next sentence of her report. Her laptop screen was split in two; one side her Word document, about eight hundred words into a three thousand word minimum assignment, and the other side her internet browser with multiple tabs open to fully cover the topic. Add to that with her iTunes playlist minimized in the corner and running through, and the open notebook at her side with her scribbled notes from her previous lectures in this class, and she was completely in the zone. So much so, that when her Mac started chiming with an incoming FaceTime call, her phone coming alive with the same, loud notification - that was really just overkill - Kagome jolted with a startled gasp.

Then her heart sunk into her abdomen. Both pleasantly and disturbingly. This was her first time hearing from Inuyasha in weeks, and her first time seeing him since she left for home.

Quickly, Kagome pulled her hair out of its messy bun, scrunching her unruly waves and running her fingers through her self-cut bangs. She could only hope her face was looking okay at the moment, because she really didn't have much more time to make herself look presentable before she missed the call entirely. As she paused her music and answered, she held her breath, waiting for the connection to set. Inuyasha's face appeared on her laptop screen, his mouth covered by the sides of his curled fingers that he'd comfortably rested against, but she could clearly see the corner of his lips curve and his cheeks slightly push up when he smiled at seeing her. And, she sighed out happily.

He was in a dimly-lit room, his chest bare and birthmark visible at the very bottom of the camera. His silver hair was hued with the temperature of the rosy lighting, one of the ears atop his head giving a tiny flick at the sound of her joyful giggle. God, she'd missed him.

"There you are." He softly rumbled, amber eyes gazing at her with adoration, and he dropped his hand, his expression reading one of subtle relief.

"Hi." Kagome whispered, too elated to speak clearly. "How are you?"

Inuyasha held up a finger with a soft hum to quiet her. "Give me a minute. Stand up."

Wordlessly, Kagome scrunched her nose bemusedly, her smile hardly faltering.

"I need to make sure you're in one piece. Stand up." The hanyou said clearly, raising his brows expectingly.

She replied with a gentle laugh, rolling her desk chair back and standing up for him.

He took as much of her in as he could, as much as the camera allowed. Her long, black hair, her gorgeous face, her neck, her shoulders that were donned in a green, flannel shirt that was a little too large for her and hung to about mid-thigh, the black tank top underneath, the short pajama bottoms that hardly covered much but looked comfortable as all hell, the thighs he loved so goddamn much. She was there. Fuck, what he wouldn't give to be able to physically feel her right now, to hold her.

When Kagome felt like he'd had enough, she sat back in her chair, pulling herself up close to her desk. "Good?"

"Good enough," He said. "What are you doing? Are you busy?"

"No." She fervently shook her head.

"Are you on your laptop or phone?"

"Laptop."

"You're doing homework, aren't you?" Inuyasha chuckled, leaning his head to the side with a cock of his brow.

"Yes, but it's not due until Friday. Don't worry." She quickly assured, not wanting him to think he was interrupting anything important. Of the classes she was currently registered in, this one ranked low in the difficulty aspect. The assignments were just tedious. Truthfully, even if it _was_ important, she'd gladly push it aside for him.

He wasn't going to try and argue against that. If she could talk, he was going to take it. This wasn't the moment to be cautious, this was the moment to try and heal. "What time is it there?"

"A little passed eight. What about you? Are you in Europe?"

"Yeah. In London. It's, uh, a little passed four here."

"In the morning!?" Kagome pressed, inching slightly closer to her screen in exasperation.

He laughed, lazily running his fingers through his hair. "Yeah. Couldn't sleep."

"What time do you have to work?"

"Gotta be there by seven. Don't waste your breath telling me to go to sleep, I'm not hanging up until I'm good and ready." Inuyasha stated, leveling Kagome with a stare that brought her to close her mouth. He could tell by the way her brown eyes fluttered downward, by the way she lightly pinched her lips together, by the way she glanced back up to him that she was silently grateful for his refusal. It was warming, but it increased the guilt he felt, and he couldn't prevent the way it wavered his expression.

She'd caught it. Immediately, she'd noticed. "What's wrong?" Her tone was soft, concerned.

"Nothing." He dismissed. "How are you doing?"

"Inuyasha, what's -"

"How are you doing?" He'd asked it in a way that told her he wasn't looking for the broad aspect of her life in general. He was looking for how she was handling their separation, the ember in his eyes not quite glowing to their full potential, and she knew it wasn't just the camera's inability to capture their radiance. Still, she couldn't bring herself to answer the way he wanted. If she thought about it, it hurt too bad. She didn't want him to know that; she didn't want him to try and shoulder the burden for himself.

"Well," Kagome began with her tale. "I've been pretty busy with school. My internship doesn't start until January, though, so I'm trying to appreciate the little downtime that I have right now. And, my classes this term aren't so bad, they're -"

"How are you doing?" Inuyasha inquired again, the words enunciated slowly, his tone progressively deepening with care.

"Busy." She answered steadily. "Staying busy."

He knew she was intentionally avoiding a direct answer. That bad, huh?

"Tell me, Kagome."

She swallowed thickly, a yank on her chest reminding her that she wasn't all that okay. She missed him so much. So fucking much. How could she tell him that it hurt not talking to him? How could she apply that pressure on top of everything else he had going on right now? She just couldn't. They knew this was coming, they knew they wouldn't be totally available for each other, you just never know how bad it will feel until you're experiencing it. She wasn't allowed to expect anything from him, and she understood that, but being apart and not knowing when the gap will end created an emptiness that was indescribably difficult to manage.

The longer she let his question sit, though, the harder it became to keep her expression straight. She felt it before she could stop it, the crinkle of her brow and the frown on her lips, then her eyes began to burn with brimming tears and she swiftly leaned out of the frame of the FaceTime window.

He took a small opportunity to curse himself while she wasn't looking, while she was busy guarding her tears from him; something she should never feel she had to do. "Come back."

She hummed a no.

"Right now." He ordered gently, his voice gruff.

"Don't worry. I'm good." Kagome laughed, seemingly at herself, the sound wet. The arm still in view moved as she sloppily wiped her face, still laughing, and when she sniffled, it even brought him to chuckle lightly as he rolled his eyes. "I'm fine."

"Babe -"

"See." She came back into the frame with a smile, her face red but cleared of tears. "I'm fine."

Inuyasha bit his lip, his chuckle that time more on the dubious side. "I'm sorry."

"What? Why?" She asked, her smile fading.

"Because, you're _not_ fine and this is because of me."

"No, it's not."

"Shut up," He shook his head to quiet her. "Just listen, okay? I really fucked up. I thought it would be best if I backed off so getting over the hump of this would be easier. I didn't know where that would leave us, but I, for some stupid fucking reason, had convinced myself that it was necessary."

"Did it help you? Feel better, at least?" Inuyasha could see the compassion in her eyes, in the way she worried her bottom lip, in the genuine tone she held.

"Not one bit. I've never felt worse, actually. I can't do it. I can't stay away from you."

"Inuyasha, you have your career. It's not wrong of you to try and detach from a stressful situation, because unfortunately, that's what this is. There's no way around that." She stated directly.

"Stop trying to make me feel better."

"Stop trying to blame yourself."

"Stop trying to justify my actions for me, Kagome."

"Stop trying to act like your actions were malicious. Unless they were?"

"No, of course -"

"Then, shut up."

He blinked, surprised at the growing heat in her tone.

"It's not that I'm trying to justify what you did, I just understand _why_ you did it. I can't be upset at you for that. In retrospect, it's really not all that bad. You didn't make a promise to me -"

"I made multiple." Inuyasha argued, cutting her off. "I told you we'd still talk, I told you we'd still see each other."

Kagome huffed, her exasperation rising. "I really, _really_ don't understand what you're getting at here, Inuyasha. Why are you so upset with yourself when we left each other knowing this was going to suck? I certainly didn't know what the right thing to do for us was. I still don't! We have conflicting schedules and lives right now, and from the moment we found out we were soulmates, you warned me that this thing between us wasn't going to immediately work out. So, why are you suddenly villainizing yourself? It's like you _want_ me to be mad at you!"

Inuyasha leaned his chin into his palm, his mouth covered by his fingers as his golden eyes drifted to stare at the surface his phone was placed upon. His heavy sigh was emphasized, but Kagome remained quiet, waiting him out, letting him gather his thoughts. When he was ready, her soulmate lowered his hand, but he never looked back at her, his expression almost communicating shame.

"I could have been doing more. That's just it. I could have been doing more. I avoided more thinking it would help, and I avoided the bare minimum thinking it was right for the long run. I can't stand the thought that your sadness is worse than what it has to be because of the route I took. So, yeah." Inuyasha met her gaze. "Maybe you being mad at me is what I want, because I can fix that. Ultimately, I feel like I need to fix something. But, on top of that, I feel so fucking helpless and stuck, and like anything I choose to do is wrong."

Kagome had figured out pretty early on that Inuyasha wasn't the type to openly show his feelings. He was smooth, he was passionate, but he was subtle with his messages. And, early on, she realized she was the lucky one that got to experience this side of him. Especially now, she could see his guard lowering so she could fully understand what was going on in his head; something she felt, if she wasn't his soulmate, she'd have to work very hard to see after a significant amount of time and a significant amount of trust was built. Inuyasha was, by nature, protective. And, she could tell he was hard on himself. So, when he feels like he failed to protect her from harm in any way, shape, or form, he's going to jump to take the heat for it. When the blame is on him, he can compensate to rectify the situation, tend to your wounds, step up and do better, but that's just not logical. If he continued to do that, he'd eventually run himself dry. Kagome understood what he was getting at with his decision, and yes, it hurt to a degree, but she still didn't see him as a bad guy. It wasn't his responsibility to make sure everything was okay. In fact, he had good intentions.

"How can I help you right now? Tell me what you need to hear." Kagome said evenly.

Inuyasha pondered for a moment, eyes flickering away and meeting hers again when he spoke. "Tell me the truth about how you're doing. Don't duck out of view. Be straight with me."

She could already feel her eyes prickling with fresh tears, her face heating uncomfortably as she honed in on the emotions she'd swallowed over and over and over and over throughout the months. "I'm sad." Her voice trembled, but she took in a deep breath to give him what he needed. "I'm really sad. I feel helpless, I feel stupid, I feel tired. I'm lonely." She finally began to cry, and it took active effort not to hide it from him, terrified he'd feel responsible. "I miss you. And, I'm angry. I'm angry that we have to go through this in the first place, and all I want to do is call you so I can listen to you talk - and I don't even care what the topic is or if you're not even talking to me, but someone else - I just want to hear your voice. I don't like that you're upset, and I want to take it away from you just as much as you want to take it away from me, and not being able to is frustrating. But, if you expect me to blame you for _any_ of this, that's where you'll succeed in making me mad at you. I know for a fact you would never intentionally do anything to hurt me, and you can't get me to picture you in that light. Do I like that you stepped back? No. Of course, not. But, honestly, I didn't even know it was an option to have more of you, so no harm - no foul. You tried, it didn't work, and now you're here. So, now what? Where do you want to go from here? What's our next step?"

Inuyasha had been holding his breath, clenching his jaw shut as he digested Kagome's powerful sincerity. At least twice during her admittance he'd considered buying the first available plane ticket to her, even if that meant he could only be there for an hour. He spoke on a whim, uncaring of the irrationality behind it if that's how it appeared. He wasn't going to listen to her pain and do nothing about it when, now, to him, the answer was obvious.

"We ditch our original idea that things won't work until we're done with our shit. When I said that, we'd just had our first night together. It didn't sound sane then to jump into anything when we were confused, new to each other, and freaked the fuck out. Even as you left, it made sense to hold onto the idea to wait, but it's just not working. The pull on our souls to be together is too strong."

Kagome hastily wiped her face using the sleeves of her shirt, sniffling in an attempt to clear her emotions. "Inuyasha, we can't drop what we've worked for. Especially you. I won't let you."

"I'm not saying that. I'm saying we manage a long distance relationship. I'm going fucking crazy over here, Kagome. Fuck the boundaries, fuck the time difference, fuck anything that works against us. Why are we putting ourselves through this? God, it doesn't fucking make sense! This is so stupid! If you want to call me, call me! I'm yours! If you're lonely, let me keep you company the best way that I can! If I want to see that gorgeous smile of yours, I'm fucking going to! I'll learn your schedule, and I'll work through mine for you. I will _never_ be too busy to tell you that I love you, it's as simple as that. We'll make this as easy as possible, I don't want it overwhelming you with classes -"

"No, screw easy." Kagome objected with a brusque shake of her head. "I don't want easy, I want you."

"So, yes?" Inuyasha breathed, and it was evident it held the release of a substantial amount of tension he'd been harboring with for far too long now.

"Yes." Kagome laughed with relief, her shoulders dropping. "Did you think I'd actually say no?"

"I don't know. It'd be pretty stupid of you if you did." He joked, chuckling. Fuck, the sound of her giggle was like the most wonderful song he'd ever heard. "God, I wish I could kiss you right now."

"Soon." She whispered.

"Not soon enough."

"Does this mean nothing has to hold us back from each other now? I can send you messages without worrying about bothering you, and -"

"Hey, woah, wait." Inuyasha's brows furrowed, a frown marring his face as he cocked his head to the side in question. "I told you not to hesitate before. You'd never bother me."

"I know, but it was still kind of confusing. I just wanted to tread carefully. Especially since I wasn't hearing from you, so sending you texts or pictures just didn't seem appropriate."

The hanyou dropped his head down to the table, the sound of the bang coming through loudly on the speakers, and his ears wilted slightly as he groaned dramatically. "You're kidding me. How many pictures did I fucking miss out on!?"

"No! None!" Kagome frantically tried to dispel his aggravation, waving her hands before her even though he couldn't look to see. "I've hardly taken any pictures, or looked remotely presentable to have anything to show off, I swear! It was just an example!"

"Fucking liar." He grumbled.

"No, I'm not lying! See," Kagome grabbed her phone from beside her, unlocking it with her thumbprint and opening the photos app. Inuyasha glanced up at her with a grimace, disdain for himself written all over his face, but she ignored it as she showed him the screen, mindlessly scrolling through while trying to see where she was at in the small window of herself on the FaceTime camera. "It's all stupid screenshots I save for later or send to Sango. There's a couple pictures of myself the day this term started, but those were for my mom because she collects first day of school pictures. Then, we're back in summer vacation. And then, that's all before we even met."

"Hold it!" Inuyasha abruptly demanded. Kagome stopped scrolling, pulling back her phone to see what he was looking at. "Go back down."

"Hm?" She questioned, putting the screen back up to him so he could guide how far back he wanted her to go as she slowly slid her finger along the glass of her phone.

"A little more. There. The blue shirt. Let me see that one."

Again, Kagome glanced at her phone, selecting the image he was looking at as she felt her cheeks flush. It was just as the weather began warming up and she drove ten hours home to surprise her mom for her birthday. Rightfully, she'd done her makeup for the event, her hair, and wore a cute blouse that fell off her shoulders to reveal the few freckles littering her skin beneath. And, in the selfie she'd taken, she'd ruffled her loose curls further, the smile she wore was a little on the sultry side, and the light hit her chocolate eyes just right. With the hint of embarrassment, Kagome presented the picture to Inuyasha. His growing, crooked grin ignited a flurry within her stomach, the sensation quickly traveling through her chest and over the surface of her entire body.

"Send it to me." He said huskily.

"What? You want this one?"

"Like that's even a question. Send it over."

Flattered, she complied, texting it to his number. His smile brightened, then his FaceTime screen paused as he picked up his phone from the table and clicked her text. Though she couldn't see him anymore, she could still hear him, and his exhaled breath upon seeing her photo had her ready to melt into a puddle on the carpet beneath her seat.

Inuyasha released a tantalizing chuckle, whispering a hoarse, "Fuck."

"What?" Kagome giggled, her embarrassment increasing and her face growing hot.

"Just -" He paused. "Fuck, baby."

"Come back."

"Hang on, I'm setting this as your contact picture. That way, whenever you text or call, this picture will pop up, and if anyone looks over at my phone, they'll have a good moment to envy me when they realize what my girlfriend looks like."

"Inuyasha!" She laughed, slapping her hands to her cheeks to hide the maddening blush.

"Hey, and that's just your face."

"Stop!"

"Man, if they saw your ass -"

"Inuyasha! Oh my god!"

He popped back onto her screen, setting his phone back where it had been with the most satisfied and cocky expression.

"Send me one of you." She said, shaking her head and laughing the humility off.

"I will. Later. Promise."

"Are you feeling better now?" Kagome asked with a genuine tone, her smile unfaltering.

"Yes and no." He answered honestly. "I'm not going to one hundred percent feel better until I'm back with you. But, at least I _have_ you now."

"You've had me all this time, Inuyasha. I would have waited for you for as long as you needed me to." She swore she saw a tint of pink ripen his cheeks. "Are you going to try to at least sleep a little before work?"

"I don't want to hang up yet." He replied, his voice dying away with his empowering sincerity.

"I know you don't need as much sleep as a human, but you still need _some."_

"I'm not that tired."

"Have you been sleeping well lately?"

"Why do you want me to hang up so bad?" Inuyasha chuckled lightly.

"I don't. Not at all. I haven't had my fill of you yet, either. But, I know you. When you get stuck in your head about something, you don't sleep well. Now, there's less to keep you up." Kagome said, her tone as gentle as ever.

"You worry too much." He dismissed with amusement. "Ten more minutes, then I'll head to bed. Happy?"

He meant what he'd said as he spoke it, but it was impossible to remember the time as he continued to speak with her, made her laugh, witnessed her beautiful smile that had him smitten all over again. She helped him forget his grief from just moments before, she helped him feel like time hardly missed a beat with them. She told him she loved him before pushing him to go to sleep after a while, and his heart felt as if it sputtered elatedly.

From then on, they communicated as often as they possibly could. He memorized her schedule like the back of his hand the moment she'd graciously sent it to him, and if anything ever ended up changing, like a canceled class, a fever that kept her bed-ridden, or maybe she was staying out longer to get lunch or dinner with a friend, she'd never hesitate to tell him. Not so he knew not to bother her, because it wasn't like that with them. Both of them were a wonderful priority to each other. He just liked knowing she was safe. He liked knowing when she was home and when she got home. There was literally only one part of her schedule he did not like, and he let it be known. Twice a week, she had to take a late class. It was with a small group, it was in a building on campus located far from the parking lot, and it got out at nine-forty-five in the evening. Meaning, twice a week, she was alone and vulnerable on a ten minute walk back to her car, then again at her apartment complex during the few minutes it took for her to get inside her place. She called him paranoid and he pridefully accepted it. He'd rather be labeled paranoid from his need to protect his girl than careless.

Since it wasn't practical to even request for her to drop the class and see if it had a better timeframe next semester - especially given she was in her final year of college and the courses she had left were pretty much solidified - he had Kagome call him the moment she got out of class. She tried to argue that it was too late, or too early in his timezone, but he didn't give a crap. He usually got up around six-thirty in the morning, five-thirty on the days he went to the gym. A five-fifty wakeup call wasn't going to impede on anything, and it took him telling her over and over he'd stay up all night if it meant he got to make sure she was safe to get it through her head that the fight she was putting up was pointless.

Honestly, what better alarm than a call from Kagome? What stronger sense of productivity than to start his day by keeping his girl company as she ended hers. She had the audacity to call him with a normal voice call the first couple times around, but he quickly fixed that by swapping it over to FaceTime. As shadowed as she was in the night, he wanted to be there with her in the best way possible. He honestly didn't like her being too distracted while she walked, but he couldn't help but want to hear her talk. And, she'd let it accidentally slip one time that she was a sucker for the groggy voice he had early in the morning. Naturally, he'd milk that for all it was worth and tell her a little about his day prior. As soon as she'd reach her car, he'd remind her to check the backseats; which she really didn't need to be reminded to do. Nine times out of ten, she was already doing it to make sure no one had broken in. Then, he'd stay on the line with her for the fifteen minutes it took her to drive home and find parking in her complex, and by the time she was inside her apartment, he was usually sipping the last of his morning coffee. On a good occasion, Kagome would walk into a madhouse and secretly flip the camera around to sneak in glimpses of her best friend frantically attempting to work on last minute assignments due by midnight while she was strung on ramen noodles and late night espresso shots she really shouldn't be allowed. The hardest part was swallowing his laughter until Kagome was safely shut inside her room. And, the sweetest part came when she'd give him this cute as shit nose scrunch as she smiled and told him to have a good day while eagerly awaiting his cheesy, cliche, timezone-inhibited reply of, "Get some sleep. I love you."

Her midterms were hard on her, and he tried to support her through them the best he could, but her finals of the first semester were proving to test her limits. She was busier than ever with studying and assignments, she was exhausted, and a couple times she'd called him having a minor breakdown just because she knew he'd be able to talk her down and get her back to thinking semi-rationally. It was common in overworked and drained minds to be hard on yourself, he knew as well as anyone else. With their schedules at their most hectic yet, him heading meetings and really grinding down on a shit place his company acquired, texts weren't often seen until hours later. Calls were _always_ answered because he knew that if she was calling, with their plates being as full as they were, it was serious, but texts were unfortunately unanswered until both of them were home and had a small moment to breathe. That's when things began to really weigh on them again. It went unspoken. On both ends. But, if he could feel the stress of not being able to even say he loved her while she was awake, if he could feel the torture of missing her even more than he already had before, he knew she could, too.

With the utmost amount of tenderness, Inuyasha began to put together a surprise care package with as many things he thought she'd enjoy that would fit in the box. She was in the midst of her exams, he knew, but given she'd been able to get a couple out of the way already, she was bound for the remainder the following week, and then she was heading home for Christmas break, he wanted to get this out to her as soon as possible. He was just missing one major component.

As he returned to his loft at the end of his long day, he texted Kagome to see if she was busy, and within the minute she responded saying she wasn't. Stealing the opportunity, Inuyasha FaceTimed her, the call swiftly answered with the usual chime of the video connection. A laugh rose from his throat that he couldn't swallow in time. The camera was angled downward on what he assumed was her laptop, exposing Kagome blinking sleepily as she laid stomach-down on the purple comforter of her bed, an arm rested beneath her temple as a pillow and a tired smile appearing on her lips.

"You just said you weren't busy." Inuyasha said, loosening the tie around his collar.

"I'm not." Kagome giggled. "As you can see, I'm clearly doing nothing."

"You're napping."

"I was simply resting my eyes." She coolly stated, her brown eyes fluttering closed for a small moment.

"Were you studying?" Inuyasha chuckled, removing the tie entirely and unbuttoning the top buttons of his shirt with his free hand, finally feeling a little more comfortable.

"No, I was working on an essay. But, then the words started to blur together, and nothing made sense anymore, and next thing I knew, I was laying down."

"Move the camera, I can't see your whole face." Without missing a beat, Kagome used her non-pillow hand to scoot her laptop a little to the left. God, even as spent as she was, she still looked breathtaking. Inuyasha smiled, sitting down on the couch and taking her in while she seemed so peaceful. "Perfect. You're so beautiful."

"Shut up." She grumbled playfully. "Did you just get home?"

"Yeah. Before I forget to ask, can you do me a favor?"

"Only if you talk in your British accent."

"That was a one time deal, dummy."

"Again." Her tone was cute, and her nose scrunched in the manner that usually suckered him into anything. She even pushed herself to prop up her chin so she looked more awake, adjusting the camera accordingly, her elbow sinking into the thick blanket beneath her.

"I was drunk when I agreed to it in the first place." He feebly attempted to argue, rolling his amber eyes.

"Take a shot!" Kagome encouraged.

"I'm not doing it." He chuckled.

"Please?"

"Nope."

 _"Please?"_ She pushed on with her adorable voice, making it smaller, dragging out the word.

Inuyasha sucked in an inhale, flexing his jaw in an attempt to resist her. With every ounce of willpower her had, he shook his head to tell her no, exhaling his strain and smiling as he slid his tongue over his canine tooth. With a defeated huff and a pout, Kagome gave in.

"Fine. What do you want?" She asked teasingly.

"Your address."

"Hm? You don't have that?"

"I've never needed it before." He laughed, the evidence of her groggy brain coming through.

"Oh?" She piqued, cocking a sly brow. "And, what would you happen to need it for now?"

"I've got something for you."

"A Christmas present?"

"No. Your Christmas gift will be sent separately. This is just a gift."

"What is it?" Kagome asked excitedly.

"None of your business." He chuckled. "Send me your address."

"So bossy." She joked, grabbing her phone from beside her computer and sending him what he'd requested.

"Got it. Thanks, babe. You can go back to sleep now."

"Wait, no. Don't go yet." Her eyes had grown larger, almost pleading, and Inuyasha had to wonder if she could ever give him an expression he wasn't utterly weak for. "Unless you're busy, then I totally understand."

"There's nothing I'd rather do right now than stay on the phone with you, baby." He grinned, his heart thundering as she beamed brightly and pushed herself to sit up for him.

Kagome came home from her final exam of the semester - of the year, really, considering when they returned from break, it'd be after New Years - feeling pumped for finally having everything out of the way while simultaneously ready for the longest nap of her life. All she needed to do was proofread her very last paper and press submit by tomorrow, and she was ready to head home for Christmas.

She'd stopped at Starbucks for a celebratory peppermint cappuccino, in light of the holiday, grabbing one for Sango while she was at it, because the poor girl was still knee deep in two of her remaining projects. As she entered their apartment, her best friend popped out from the little kitchen entry, clearly not intending to scare the shit out of her, but doing so in her powerful excitement.

"Hi! You got a package in the mail!" Sango shouted, a packet of spaghetti noodles held in her grip.

Kagome clutched her chest over her heart with her free hand, lucky she didn't drop the carrier of their hot drinks all over the place in her terror. "How many?"

"Noodles? I don't know, I mean I've never tried to count -"

"Espresso shots!"

"Oh. Oh! I don't want to talk about it." Sango swiftly dismissed, grimacing.

"How many!?"

"Enough to give an elderly man a heart attack, that's for sure."

"Oh, I'm gonna _kill_ Miroku for getting you that thing." Kagome seethed, finally recovering and dropping her bag by the tiny dining room table.

"Is that a coffee for me I see?" Sango sang, dancing her way over to her best friend.

Kagome groaned, taking her drink out of the carrier and begrudgingly handing it to the over-caffeinated girl. "A mistake."

"Thanks, friend!" She squeaked. "Open your package, I want to see what's in it! I saw a _familiar_ name written on top!" Again, she was singing, more so to be teasing this time but Kagome only laughed.

"Did you mean, mine?"

"No! Oh my god, it's on the coffee table."

Kagome's attention turned, noticing for the first time a decently-sized, brown box waiting for her in the living room. Sauntering over, she looked at the labels, Inuyasha's name and return address sitting in the upper-left corner. Truthfully, she'd forgotten to expect anything from him, the thought of a gift pushed to the back of her mind by her insane schedule.

She flicked up the packing tape with her nails, peeling it from the top and opening the package to reveal several things waiting for her inside. She grabbed for the shirt folded nicely and crammed on the side. At first glance, it seemed large and comfy, but then when she turned it over to see the band name on front, she realized it was one of his favorite, old shirts he'd worn while they were together. Instantly, she pursed out her bottom lip in adoration, hugging it close.

"Wait, there's a letter!" Sango pointed gleefully, sipping her coffee as she watched Kagome open her gift.

Kagome gently placed the shirt over the rim of the box, grabbing for the folded paper to open it and see a little letter written in her love's handwriting.

_A couple notes as you open this:_

_– Snacks for your downtime._

_– A new heating pad for your cramps since I fucking KNOW you haven't gotten rid of that shitty one yet._

_– Vanilla body spray from a little shop out here, because I know you like that scent. And, I like it on you._

_– Two of my shirts. They smell like me. Wear them to bed and I'll be right there with you. Send me pictures in them, too. I mean it._

_– Chapstick, because you go through that shit like crazy. It's the kind you like, don't freak out._

_– The last one is self explanatory. Open it. Put it on. Tap it three times._

Kagome had to resist hugging the piece of notebook paper to her chest, wanting to hold the sweet gesture as close to her as possible but refusing to crinkle the page. She gently placed it on the table, moving the shirt she'd already looked at to the side and grabbing for the other one. It was another band tee, a little less worn than the other but his homing scent radiating from it and bringing tears to prickle at her eyes. She bunched beneath her nose, really taking it in while she fought to hold her composure, too happy for words.

Finally setting it aside, she reached for the cute bottle of body spray, taking a little whiff of the perfume that smelled so sweet before setting it down and reaching for the little packet of chapstick, giggling along with Sango. He'd sent over a package of chocolate chip cookies, and two bags of chips she'd never had before but she was excited to try tonight, having already planned on putting on a movie and vegging out. The new heating pad made her laugh again, the box in pristine condition. Then, lastly, a small, blue and purple, gradient-blurred box sat alone in the package, the image of two wrist bands posted on the front.

Kagome carefully opened it, greeted with a black bracelet of sorts as she removed it completely from the packaging, the top of it harboring a small, oval widget.

"What is it?" Sango asked.

"I don't know. He told me to put it on and tap it three times." Kagome shrugged, handing it to Sango so she could strap it securely around her left wrist. As it was fastened, Kagome went ahead and tapped her finger to the face of the device, watching a thin strip of blue light illuminate over the surface she touched.

It was hardly thirty seconds later that her phone began to ring, Inuyasha's contact picture filling the screen. Shocked and joyous, Kagome lunged to answer her phone.

"Hi!"

"You got it." He hummed, the soft sound of chatter and passing cars filtering through in the background.

"How'd you know?"

"Still haven't figured it out yet?" At her lack of an answer, Inuyasha chuckled. "Okay, are you wearing it?"

"Yeah."

Three slow vibrations tickled the part of her wrist beneath the oval device, a purple light shining with each sensation. Kagome's jaw dropped with her breathy gasp, pure bliss written all over her face. "Oh my god, was that _you!?"_

"Yup." He laughed.

"You tapped it three times!?"

"Yup."

"It's like I can _feel_ you!" She was so happy, so absolutely euphoric to receive some form of touch from her soulmate, her tummy fluttering wildly and body enticingly warm. There was no fighting the tears that flooded her eyes, her heart so wonderfully full.

"Are you crying?" He chuckled as she sniffled.

"Shut up!" She laughed. "I love it all so much! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"You're welcome, baby. This way, whenever we miss each other but are too busy to talk, we can just give this thing a few taps and we'll literally feel it. Especially, since you'll be starting your internship next month. This thing's really gonna come in handy."

Kagome gave out a pouty whimper, grabbing his shirts and curling up on the couch to hold them close. "I just love you so much. Thank you." She playfully whined.

"I love you, too." He laughed.

"I can't believe you gave me your favorite shirt."

"I can't believe you're about to send me a ton of pictures in it." He countered, his tone completely serious.

"With or without pants?"

"Slut." Sango joked, walking away and downing her hot beverage.

"What do you think?"

"With or without a bra?"

"Fuck." He whispered, taken. It was a thin, white shirt. If she wore it well and wore it _right,_ he might be able to catch a glimpse of something he was sorely aching for.

"Got it." She teasingly said. "Are you out and about right now? It's kind of late there, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I'm at a bar with some friends. Stepped outside to call you."

"Are you having fun?"

"Not as much fun as I'd be having with you."

"Go back inside," Kagome giggled. "Thank you, again."

"You're welcome." He breathed, content.

"Let me know when you get home safe, please."

"I will."

"British accent?"

"Not drunk enough." Inuyasha laughed.

"Dang it! Okay, love you. Bye."

"Love you."

Winter break was relaxing and necessary for a reset, and whenever Inuyasha wanted to text, call, or FaceTime, she was available for him. Their bracelets didn't get much use then, but Kagome still refused to take it off unless it needed to charge. Once she got back into the swing of school for her very last term, was introduced to her internship and the responsibility she held, was thoroughly buried in homework she struggled to catch up on during her off days, that's when they came through.

If she ever tapped it, he was incredibly fast to respond with touches of his own, as if he was right there for support. She adored him. He was so amazing. He was so kindhearted and good. Her favorite time to receive those sensations from him were late at night, sometimes while she was dozing. There was nothing better than being woken by sweet vibrations from the love of her life who was just getting started on his own routine on his side of the world. He woke up thinking about her, and there was no better feeling. And, if she was ever looking for a little excuse to hear his voice, she'd send him three taps in the dead of night. The best time was between two and three in the morning. The first time she'd done it, she'd come out of a nightmare. As soon as she'd opened her eyes in the darkness of her bedroom, she'd immediately forgotten the happenings of which, but she was still awake, still slightly shaken, and still looking for a smidge of comfort. She tapped three times, he tapped back, and she sank into her bedding happily. But, then her phone started chiming with a FaceTime call from him. She reached up, flicking on the lamp on her bedside table and answered, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked, donned in his business attire and sitting at a desk, the look of concern etched on his face.

"Hm?" Her voice was rusty but small, the vaguest, confused grimace on her lips.

"Why are you awake?" He chuckled, slightly recovering.

"I had a bad dream." Kagome pouted. "I just wanted to touch you. Sorry."

"Don't be." His grin was tender. "I was worried something had happened. Are you okay now?"

"I'm okay, I promise."

"Go back to sleep, baby. I'm right here if you need anything."

God, it was so serene to hear that. And, she lapped it up, realizing that he'd reach out to see that she was fine if he noticed she was up at an off time. She was often awake super late working on assignments, or studying when a test was approaching. Only a couple times had she actually gone out with friends - which he was typically aware of. But, if it had been a little while since she'd last done it - because, he'd catch on if she did it too often - she'd send him some sensations, waiting for her own in reply, and then her phone would light up with a call from him to check on her.

Around spring break, blessed spring break, she was packing up to head home again. She was just two weeks away from completing her four month internship, and her wonderful, gracious, brilliant supervisor arranged it so she could work them when spring break ended, so she could see her family for the allotted time off. Her younger brother was interviewing for a couple of colleges, utilizing their grandfather's connections to their fullest capacities, and her mom thought it would be a good idea to make it an entire family outing. As far as she knew, they were going to Connecticut, and though she wasn't sure what all there was to do out there, she was still just looking forward to the event.

Inuyasha rolled his golden eyes as his brother droned on and on, hoping the motion wasn't too obvious behind the restaurant menu. The idiot literally flew him out for a lunch meeting. A lunch meeting. The U.K. to Chicago for a _lunch meeting_. Maybe this was a glimpse at his future when he took partnership at the company, maybe this was intended to be purposeful toward his increasing leadership roles, or maybe Sesshomaru made it a hobby to waste peoples' time. Honestly, he was willing to bank on the first suggestion, and even the second - his spite just sprouted the third, but it was hard to tell with his non-communicative brother. Everything was basically just left up to surprise.

Only once in the last fifteen minutes had he been addressed, and everything else Sesshomaru discussed had basically nothing to do with him, nor was it information anyone at the table would necessarily deem valuable. After the redeye flight he'd sat on, the dull walkthrough of the facility Sesshomaru was currently whipping into shape, and the headache Jaken was causing just by existing, all Inuyasha wanted was a fat lunch to make it all worth it. Also, he'd pay someone to tell his brother that not _every_ update needed to be a fucking meeting.

Knowing they were still ages away from ordering anything more than water, Inuyasha propped his cheek in his palm, glancing out the window he sat next to. His golden eyes mindlessly swept over passing people, the charming, cobblestone street a good home for boutiques and cafe's to attract attention. Older women wore smiles as they chatted with their companions, men walked hand-in-hand with their partners, young girls filtered into shops, and Kagome's bright grin as she picked on the guy next to her even managed to clear the annoyed frown from his face.

His heart stopped. Kagome? What the _fuck?_

There was an exhilarating jolt that coursed through his body, his heart remembering it's purpose and pumping powerfully against his ribcage as he studied the girl as best as he could from where he sat. Was it her? Long, black hair, slim figure, kind of short - he'd groan loudly if he could have from his building agitation. These were all general factors of identification. He needed to see her face or hear her voice.

Turn around. Turn the fuck around.

And, as if she sensed his need, she twirled around as they continued on, her smile as beautiful as ever in the dress she donned as she spoke with the elderly man behind her, walking backward to keep up. It was her.

It was Kagome.

As calmly as he possibly could, which was a feat on its own, he whispered into his brother's ear that he needed to check in on something with his own facility. Work-related meant there was a good chance Sesshomaru wouldn't gripe. His brother gave him an empty stare, and Inuyasha pressed that it was important, to which Sesshomaru gave a nod of approval and momentarily dismissed him to slip outside. The second his foot was out the door, the hanyou bolted, chasing after that sweet scent of hers that he could pinpoint anywhere. They couldn't have gotten too far, she had an old geezer on her tail. Still, the further down the road he got, the more narrow and crowded the street became.

A huge part of him couldn't even believe they were so close to one another right now. It was hard to digest; hard to understand that this was real. His heart was pounding, his stomach was in a violent flurry, his fingers were shaking with a debilitating need to grab onto her and never let go. His eyes scoured the area, looking for his girl, his love, his soulmate. If he ever met fate, he was going to punch that fucker in the throat and then thank her for the opportunity - because, as kind as she seemed to be, she was still a petty ass bitch for putting them through this.

Free from the claustrophobic street and coming into a large, open, touristy square, he spotted her from behind a good ways ahead. Without thinking, unable to stop himself even if he tried, he shouted her name, his lungs pumping air fervently as the anticipation for her to see him knocked the wind from his diaphragm.

Hearing a thunderous bellow of her name, Kagome abruptly stopped walking, startled while a frenzy of flutters erupted in her abdomen. She spun around, searching the area for the voice, the call, her mom asking what was wrong beside her but she couldn't answer.

Her breathing stopped, her heart sputtered, her body heated, and the biggest surprise overtook her when she spotted Inuyasha where they'd come from at the far end of the square. She didn't even pause to process. Kagome ran to him, sprinted, enveloped in ecstasy when she saw him running toward her, too.

He'd braced to catch her and she threw herself into his arms, her own encircling his neck as he squeezed her tight, spinning her around once before setting her toes back to the ground.

"Oh my god, what are you doing here!?" She cried, unwilling to let go yet.

"I flew out for a meeting; I'm just here until tonight!" Inuyasha replied, holding her so tight his body curved protectively around hers.

"I didn't know you were coming!"

"I didn't want to mention it! It was last minute, and it'd be like salt in the wound! I thought you were in Connecticut, anyway!"

"No, I had it wrong!" She laughed, more from the overwhelming happiness than anything else. They finally let go of each other, but Inuyasha cradled her jaw with his hands, keeping her to him, and Kagome held onto his forearms, tightening her grip to attempt and still her trembling fingers. "His Connecticut interview is on a different date. This was apparently a Chicago interview trip all along."

"You dummy." He laughed, pulling her in for the kiss of a lifetime.

He breathed her in, holding her close, his shoulders curling over her as she whimpered beautifully into the breathtaking kiss. It heated him thoroughly, making him feel whole for the first time since August.

"I swear," She sighed as they broke apart, but he interrupted her with another kiss. "I texted -" Another kiss, this time accompanied with a tiny growl to shut her up. It only made her giggle. "You."

"I haven't been able to check my phone. I'm so sorry." He murmured breathlessly, pressing his forehead to hers.

"I just can't believe you're here!" She squealed, bouncing to hug him again.

"Fuck, baby. I've missed you so goddamn much." He laughed, engulfed in sheer bliss. "Was that your family I saw you with?"

"Yeah." Kagome smiled, allowing him to let go, though their hands quickly sought the other's out, fingers pleasantly entwined for a sense of completeness.

"I'd like to meet them." He said with a quick peck to her cheek before gesturing for her to lead him over. She was giddy, practically skipping as she guided him through the square to where her mother, grandfather, and brother waited; two of which looking more confused than anything while the awaiting woman seemed nothing less than sweetly content.

"I've never seen my daughter run to anyone so fast in my life. You must be Inuyasha." Kagome's mother chuckled, the sound smooth.

"I am. It's a pleasure to meet you." He greeted kindly, holding out his hand for her to shake.

"Inuyasha, this is my mom, my grandpa, and my brother, Sota." Kagome said.

Her younger brother held a grimace of bemusement, and she rolled her eyes, her head lolling to the side in mild exasperation.

"My boyfriend." She clarified.

"Oh!" Sota's expression cleared, like a lightbulb literally flickered on over his head. "Cool. The sweet-talker."

"Oh my god." Kagome mumbled, tucking her embarrassment behind Inuyasha's arm as he laughed.

"Uh, yeah. That's me." The hanyou agreed with a smug grin, shrugging. It wasn't a lie; he knew the level of his own game.

"Yeah, my sister never shuts up about you. How do you turn it off?" Sota sarcastically asked.

Kagome's jaw dropped in shock and Inuyasha pinched his lips together to stifle his laugh. A look of humored fear struck her younger brother as she narrowed her eyes, silently mouthing the words, "I'm gonna fucking hit you."

"It's nice to meet you, boy." The old man greeted, interrupting the siblings and taking Inuyasha's hand to shake. "It's a wonderment to see proof that the concept of soulmates still exists in this era."

"I can't agree more." He nodded earnestly, squeezing Kagome's hand as he still held it.

"If my son were still here, he'd damn the whole thing and insist on giving you a hard time to make sure you deserved Kagome."

"I guess you'll have to do it for him then. I'd happily take the challenge."

"Shit, you _are_ a sweet-talker." Sota murmured, casually ducking behind their mother when Kagome sent him an incredulous glare to shut his mouth.

"I like to hear that." Her grandfather stated.

"Are you here on business?" Her mother asked in reference to his professional attire, dressed to the nines thanks to Sesshomaru's need to be uncomfortable, her genuine smile never having once faded.

"I am. Yes. I saw you all passing by the window of the restaurant we were having a meeting in. I couldn't stop myself from running out."

"What?" Kagome gasped. "You were currently _in_ the meeting you were flown out for? And, you just ditched it!?"

"Don't worry!" He laughed, giving her hand another comforting squeeze. "I told Sesshomaru I had to take a work call, so he thinks I'm on the phone."

"Your brother was in the meeting, too!? How much longer can you pull this off before he grows suspicious!?"

Inuyasha pulled the cellphone from the pocket of his slacks, his humored expression deadpanning as he noticed a recent text from Sesshomaru telling him to wrap up the call so they could get on with business. He shifted an apologetic frown toward Kagome, pressing a long squeeze to her palm.

"Thought so." She compassionately smiled.

"I'm sorry." Came his whisper.

"Mama, I'm gonna walk him back, okay?"

"No, you don't -"

"Alright, dear. We won't go far." Her mother beamed, waving a goodbye.

"It was so nice to finally meet you all." Inuyasha politely said before turning around, dragging his soulmate off with him.

She hugged his arm close, the body heat of hers radiating through his suit. They didn't say much on their walk back, which he intentionally took at a leisurely pace. It was a moment to respect; to savor. He wanted to memorize the prints of her fingertips that held his hand, every ridge and line of her skin engraved into his own. He wanted to absorb every ounce of warmth she had to offer, and be privileged to remember the exact rhythm that her lungs worked at. And, when they neared the restaurant, he physically felt the wrenching sputter of her heart, and though he knew it was from ache, he wanted to remember that, too. Because, it was for him. Because, she loved him. Because, she didn't want say goodbye or any variation of the word. Because, it helped him realize that he was truly the luckiest bastard in existence.

Inuyasha turned around to face her, his hands instantly cradling her jaw and threading through her soft hair. "I'm sorry this was so short. I'm so sorry, Kagome."

"Stop. Are you kidding me?" She lightly giggled. "I didn't think I'd get to see you until you finished up in Europe. Even if this was short, I'm so happy right now."

"You promise?" He asked for his own reassurance, pressing his forehead to hers.

"Pinky promise."

Inuyasha curved her chin up in his grasp, kissing her deeply, taking every last bit of her in as he could. Her taste, her scent, the feel of her body pressed against his, everything.

"Get in there, business man." She breathed, gently rubbing the tip of her nose against his.

"I love you."

"I love you so much." Kagome placed one last, sweet kiss to his lips before giving him an encouraging nudge in the direction of the door. "See you later."

"Tap twice to let me know you're back safe with your family."

"I will. Go."

"Wait, one more." He laughed, reaching for Kagome and pulling her in for a final, hungry kiss. She melted in his grasp, sighing delightfully, fucking with his mental stability. _"Now_ I'll go." He rumbled sedately.

Composing himself, Inuyasha calmly entered the restaurant, crossing to the side his meeting was held on and taking his seat at the window with an apologetic look for the inconvenience. He was glad Sesshomaru didn't ask questions; for once grateful for the general look of disinterest his brother's face had seemed to be stuck in for as long as he could remember.

Three slow sensations tickled his left wrist and Inuyasha reflexively went to give them back, stopping himself as he looked out the window. Across the street, Kagome stood in her floral dress, the breeze blowing gorgeous strands of dark hair into her face. With a warm smile, she bit her lip, tucking her hair behind her ear before waving to him. A grin grew on his face, one he knew wasn't subtle at all but who the fuck was he to care? That was his girl, his Kagome. Without removing his eyes, Inuyasha tapped his device three times, watching her brown eyes flutter down to see it illuminate and then smile even wider before gifting him with one last glance, and walking away.

From that point on, things were easy. Easier. It was still hard to be apart, but the sense that everything was going to be perfectly fine settled any nerves that had the tendency to get aggravated. Kagome's schedule gradually cleared as she finished her internship and locked away the experience under her belt, and her classes weren't as strenuous as the end of the school year approached. She was freaking out a little to try and lock down a job after graduation, as any graduate would be, but calming her down had become a simple task for Inuyasha. Frankly, he wasn't worried about a damn thing anymore. He wanted Kagome to experience that level of tranquility, too. Everything was bound to fall in line for them from this point on, within their relationship and out, and if it didn't happen organically, Inuyasha would personally see to fixing it, himself.

Interestingly enough, a plan was set in motion. A chain began to form, unbeknownst to both of them. Until he received a call from a number he didn't recognize. On a whim, he answered, surprised to hear the soothing voice of Kagome's mother on the other end; apparently having had Sango play the in-between intelligence that stole his number from Kagome's phone. With the simple question she presented, the offer on the table, the hanyou cleared his schedule with no debate necessary. His answer was an immediate, "I'll be there."

Kagome stood with her graduating friends, waiting for the call that directed them all to get in line in the respectful categories of their majors, donned in celebratory dresses - and button-ups for the guys - beneath their gowns, caps held in their hands until absolutely necessary to put them on and ruin their hair. All of them were proud, joyful, excited, and albeit slightly nervous. Of course, as the ever so reliable one of the group, Sango pulled through with a small - and easily concealable - bottle of tequila. All of them pretended to be surprised that she would pull this stunt, but it would be a lie if anyone would expect anything less of her. Especially on such a jubilant day. Everyone took a straight swig from the bottle, passing it along to the next person until the circle was complete and everyone felt a little more pumped and prepared to cross the stage and wrap up their college career.

After the ceremony, the cheers, the jumps for joy, and the loud pops of confetti that damn near gave everyone a heart attack, students filtered out into the the courtyards to find their families. Kagome was dragged to the side with Sango and Miroku to wait, shadowed by trees in the large lawn dozens of students spaciously inhabited. Multiple times, Kagome felt she should try to find her family, worried they'd gotten lost in the crowd and maybe wandered to a different courtyard, which wasn't difficult to do at her large school, but Sango insisted she stay put and just wait, claiming she was worrying too much. All she could do was constantly check the phone in her hand to make sure she didn't somehow miss any notifications from her mom or younger brother.

Moments later, the warm voice of her mom called her name and Kagome beamed with happiness, running to hug her mother, hoping she'd succeeded in making her proud with her accomplishment. Her brother hugged her next, and then her grandfather kissed her cheek, all of them rosy in the face from smiling too much.

"Who's the stud?" Sango flirtatiously asked, waltzing up to casually join the group and nudging her arm.

Kagome looked at her curiously, then followed the path of her eyes when Sango notched her chin to her left. Against a tree not too far away, a handsome man with short, silver hair leaned, an infamous, crooked grin adorning his face while his arms were nonchalantly crossed in front of his chest. He wore dark jeans with a light, untucked, button-up shirt, dressy enough for the occasion while still maintaining comfort.

"Oh my god!" She cried, carelessly dropping the things in her hands into Sango's grasp and running over to her cunning boyfriend. "You're here! You're here!"

Inuyasha met her halfway, stealing her into a tight embrace as she still bounced on her feet, too excited for stillness, laughing.

"When did you get here!? I FaceTimed you this morning!"

"I know, I was bunkered in your room at your mom's house."

"You were at my _mom's!?"_ Kagome pulled away, completely taken aback.

"It was her idea for me to surprise you." The hanyou couldn't bite back his amusement, chuckling and ecstatic that they'd pulled it off without an inkling of suspicion.

Kagome spun around, pinning her best friend with an audacious stare. "You knew, didn't you!?"

"Of course, I knew! I played a roll in getting him out here!" Sango laughed.

"And, I just knew because that's my right." Miroku added, throwing his arm over Sango's shoulders.

Kagome, too grateful for words and hoping her smile showed all the thanks she could possibly give, spun back around to Inuyasha, hopping back into a hug and robbing a kiss from him. "I can't believe you're here! Did you watch?"

"From start to finish. I'm so proud of you!"

"How long are you here for!?"

"Two days. You've got me for two days, baby." Inuyasha squeezed her tight, pulling apart so he could kiss her on the forehead.

Sango and Miroku had parted to find their own families, and Inuyasha and Kagome enjoyed a night out to dinner with her own, celebrating her achievement before she headed back to her own apartment, rightfully dragging Inuyasha home with her.

They were merely in the hallway outside of her apartment before it hit them like a freight train, maddening desire catching up with them after months and months. Their lips had crashed into each other's, their kiss heated and loving and mind numbingly hot. She was stumbling backward to get to her front door while Inuyasha held firmly around her waist, the two of them actively refusing to part until they absolutely had to - which just so happened to be when she dropped her keys while trying to unlock the door with one hand.

They both laughed, wonderfully flustered, and though he let her go so she could reach for the lanyard that held her keys, Inuyasha took residence behind her, his fingers gripping her hips and pinning his body to hers. His job was to make it difficult for her to get anything done, because in his eyes, he wouldn't be doing it right if she could concentrate through his ministrations. Lips grazed over the tender flesh of her neck, his searing breath trailing over tended to spots and making her quiver where she stood. Kagome's fingers were fumbling over keys, and he just fucking knew his girl was biting her lip to keep from making a peep.

God, he was so hard already, ready to fuck her over and over. And, over. And, over. And, if she asked nicely, one more time. He had so much pent up frustration for her to take in, and sleep was for the wicked. Her neck tasted so good, her reactions - stifled as they may be - made him feel borderline feral.

Finally, Kagome unlocked her door, throwing it open and spinning around to claim Inuyasha's mouth and pull him through, allowing him to shut and lock the bolt.

"Sango?" He murmured into her kiss.

"Not home." She breathed.

"Sure?"

"She's smart. She's not home."

"Oh? Yeah?" His husky tone piqued in ruttish interest, one of his hands coursing through her hair to snag blissfully at the back. "You already knew what was gonna happen, baby? My little slut."

Kagome could only reply in a moan, gripping the front of his shirt as she tried to guide him to her bedroom without tripping. She'd left her cap and gown in her car, leaving her donned only in the new dress she'd gotten just for the occasion. It was form-fitting, hugging every curve of hers beautifully, accentuating her perfect tits, her grabbable ass, the straps thin and the hem ending above mid-thigh. Through the door of her bedroom, he wasted no time in locating the zipper, dragging it down her back to release the dress's enviable grasp on her. The straps fell from her shoulders easily, and Inuyasha gladly dragged them over her arms, flawlessly pushing the dress down her chest, her waist, her hips, and to the floor where she stepped out of it and kicked her flats off. Her breasts were concealed by a strapless bra, and after she eagerly undid his shirt and shoved it off of him, he yanked the useless delicate down to reveal the gorgeous and tempting sight of her hardened nipples. Inuyasha's mouth instantly claimed one, not bothering to take his time. He was needy for her. Too much time played a cushion between them and he needed the fervent reminder of what she tasted like, how she felt while she laid helplessly beneath him as he fucked her, the erotic sounds she made when he hit just the right spot that made her clutch the bedding and arch her back.

Inuyasha pulled her to follow him as he sat on the edge of the mattress, sucking and using his tongue to flick her nipple within his mouth. Without instigation, she straddled his lap, allowing him to do whatever he wanted, and he rewarded her by grabbing her ass and maneuvering her to grind against his erection. His jeans hindered the sensation he craved, but the way she trembled told him how much she loved it all.

Easily, he unhooked the bra still wrapped beneath her supple breasts, unable to remove the wretched thing fast enough, and switched to pay attention to her neglected nipple. His hands made home on her ass, massaging, giving a little spank, but mindful to be frugal in how often he allowed her to grind into him. He'd stop her if she tried to do it herself, and just to show her he was in charge, he would sometimes only move her in simple, light motions that gave her limited satisfaction. The pleading whimper she made was music to his ears, and he gave a taunting chuckle in response each time. If only she knew he was just getting started with her.

"You miss me, baby?" He whispered hoarsely. Kagome whined, almost gasping as he littered steaming kisses over her chest. "No, no. I asked you a question. Answer it."

"Yes." She replied breathlessly. "I missed you so much."

"Good girl. I missed you, too. All those pictures you send me almost make me lose my mind. I was so fucking close to buying a ticket to see you when you sent me the ones of you touching yourself. You know the ones?" Another keen, breathy and voiceless as he nipped her ribcage lightly. "Answer me."

"Yes." She sighed at the exact moment he ground her against him.

"The ones where I _know_ what you're doing, but I don't get to see anything. Not a fucking thing. You're such a little tease, you know that?"

That time, Kagome gave a satisfied and sultry giggle, licking her lips in response.

"Oh, you do? You're a little too proud of yourself there, baby girl. You like driving me crazy?" His voice was deep, throaty, driving her wild and Kagome could barely manage a pout while she nodded that time.

"You wanted me to buy that ticket to you, didn't you?"

Another nod, her teeth biting down on her lower lip as he pushed his hand between her pussy and his pelvis, dragging his fingers over her lace panties to taunt her as she created the respected space to allow him, again, to do whatever the hell he wanted to her.

"All so I could fuck you?" That time he whispered, feeling his hot breath bounce off her soft skin. "Is that what you want? You want me to fuck you?"

"Please."

"Oh, come on now. You can do better than that."

"Inuyasha." She trembled, her hips bucking mildly when he applied a little more pressure to her core.

"Do it."

"Please."

"Fucking beg me."

_"Please."_

"Give me more, baby."

"I want you so bad." She whined, her fingernails raking over his shoulders.

"I know you do." Inuyasha gently pushed her to stand, following closely, one of his hands going into her hair to softly grip while his other undid his jeans, all the while leading her backwards toward the far wall. "But, that's not what I asked. You need to beg me for this cock."

"Please. Please, I want it so bad. I'm begging you. I've missed you so much. I need you." The plead was almost too genuine, each waver to her tone like a lick of fire to his flesh, and he smiled arrogantly, tightening his grip on her hair and pulling her in for a feverish kiss.

He pinned her to the wall, pressing his body against hers, feeling the way her chest rose and fell with each heavy sigh. In his devotion to make sure she was going to get everything from him, including a refreshment course on how powerfully he worshipped her body, he steadily dropped to his knees, kissing down along the way. To drag those wanton breaths from her lungs, he place scalding kiss after kiss over the cloth of her panties, teasing her before giving in with a content chuckle. After pulling them down her gorgeous legs, Inuyasha licked his lips, propping one of her thighs over his shoulder as he set to his delectable feast. Fuck, she tasted so ungodly delicious, bringing a deep groan to rumble from his throat. He alternated between flattening his tongue to drag it over her entire pussy and playing with her clit with the very tip, and when her legs quickly began to tense and wobble, he wondered just how much she'd be able to take. He held her thighs, taking a deep lap with his tongue and then sucking on her clit, swallowing her juices. In the sexiest voice, the most desperate moan he'd heard from her yet, Kagome cursed, her hand gripping at his silver hair.

"Fuck, baby. Please." She rasped, trying to pull him up.

Like a sucker, he complied, drowning her in a deep kiss while his hand curved around her throat. Kagome's adventurous hands scraped down his bare sides, blindly making sure he'd undone his pants before finding the band of his boxers and reaching through to pull out his cock. Her palm was hot and he was throbbing. Using one hand brought a groan from his throat, and as she incorporated a second one, he couldn't prevent himself from rolling into her grip, captivated by her mind numbing touch.

Inuyasha pushed her hands away, taking the liberty to curl her arms around the back of his neck as he leaned down, picking her up by the thighs and pushing her solidly against the wall for support. Without missing a beat, he gingerly pushed inside of her, hissing an unrestrained, _"Shit!"_ Her legs wrapped around his hips, his girl ready to take him all in, and the sight of her mouth hanging open from the blissful intrusion had him going mad.

He moved his palms upward, gripping her ass as he began to thrust into her. It almost felt like it had during their first time together; so lost in each other it was impossible to stop. So enraptured, so taken that it would be debilitating to hold back. He could see Kagome losing herself, keening, grasping him tighter as her head dropped to his shoulder. Fuck, she was already shaking, enjoying herself too much, and it brought a wicked grin to Inuyasha's face.

"You like that?" He teased.

"Harder." She shockingly answered, lightly digging her nails into the back of his shoulders.

He had an unhinged need to give her exactly what she wanted. She was light in Inuyasha's arms, easy to move, easy to manipulate, easy to fuck, but for better grounding, he further trapped her placement against the wall, their gasping mouths just centimeters apart as he thrusted deeper into her with nearly-bruising force.

"That what you want?"

"God, yes." Kagome mewled, allowing her head to rest against the wall, a sinful smile growing on her face.

Inuyasha lavished her open neck and throat with adoring kisses, nips, licks, and sucks, intentionally leaving his mark. She was his. He wanted Kagome covered in his hickies, he wanted her smothered in his scent, he wanted the world to know that fate didn't have to play a part in their union; Inuyasha would have willingly chosen Kagome time and time again.

Feeling the searing and overwhelming pleasure of her pussy claiming him, he pulled away from the wall the smallest amount; enough to give him room to play. He moved her hips, bouncing her on his dick as if she were the one fucking him, absorbed in the way her entire body responded. She was trembling, her voice broken, her legs squeezing him harder, her teeth gnawing at her bottom lip, and as she sucked in a shivering breath to hold, Inuyasha claimed her mouth, kissing her as she came on his cock.

Her legs were unstable, wobbly, but he set her down anyway, encouraging her to wrap her arms around his waist so he could support her as he guided her over to the bed, languid kisses peppered as they went. As they reached the mattress, Inuyasha smiled into his kiss, spinning her around and pushing her to bend over the edge of it. Kagome'd caught herself on her hands, temptingly biting her lip as she glanced over her shoulder at him before crawling further onto the bed to brace on her knees as well. Inuyasha shoved his pants and boxers down a littler further so they were out of the way, giving his cock a couple of jerks as he observed the tantalizing sight before him. Daringly, Inuyasha smacked her ass, his eyes rolling back ecstatically when she gifted him with a sensual sigh.

He spit into his hand, lubricating his cock before kneeling onto the mattress behind her and pushing inside, filling her whole. His pace started slow, but it was too simple. Kagome wanted more and she was willing to take it on her own, moving herself back and forth to match his rhythm and push him deeper inside of her. Altogether, Inuyasha stopped, allowing her to do as she pleased for a moment because the way her ass bounced against his hips was just too sexy to ignore. But, when she seemed to be thoroughly pleasing herself, he reached for her waist, anchoring himself as he pushed so hard into her that they both groaned loudly. She'd almost lost her balance, her hands clambering forward to clutch her comforter and support herself. Muscles engaged in her back, accentuating the curve of her spine, and Inuyasha felt a dangerous heat bubbling inside of him.

He'd completely admit that he'd lost himself to her in that moment, absolutely captivated by the way her body contorted, bounced, flexed, and ultimately welcomed his aggressive thrusts with how hard, how deep he fucked his girl. Reaching forward, Inuyasha safely gripped her hair, supporting her waist with his free arm as her scooped her torso up to meet his, the angle a little different while her hands grasped the forearm he held around her front, and her moans took on a pitchy effect.

"Play with yourself." He ordered in her ear, releasing her to fold over completely with zero hesitation to do as he said.

He'd anchored himself by gripping her hips, enraptured by the beautiful expressions displayed on his soulmate's face while she rested the side of it against the blanket, one of her hands tightly clutching the bedding by her shoulder while the other had glided between her thighs, massaging her clit. The way her breathing increased, her body responding to the ample stimulation, it was sending him spiraling, clenched curse words slipping off his tongue like they were the only hope of remaining grounded for however long it took to force Kagome to succumb with him.

"Come on, baby. Come on." He gently coaxed, her squirming testing his willpower.

"Don't - don't stop!" She begged, muffling her voice with the comforter while she continued to vigorously rub herself.

Fuck, those words were like a fire hazard, building the heat that was already threatening to burn him down. Inuyasha clenched his jaw shut, grunting as he forced himself to maintain everything exactly as it was so as not to throw her off. What this goddess wanted, she got, and if she told him not to stop, especially in that desirable, whimpering manner, then obey he would.

"A l-little harder, please."

Son of a _bitch_ , she was going to be the death of him. The politeness, the submissive way she requested what she needed to reach climax had Inuyasha soaring, his fingers gripping harder so as not to reveal that they'd tremble against her supple flesh if he didn't. That didn't prevent him from bequeathing an ounce more of fervency to get her closer, closer, the enchanting sound of skin slapping skin all he could focus on until she rolled her hips in an irrepressible reaction to the orgasm fervidly overtaking her, the shuddering gasp she released proving to be the absolute end of his discipline. With just a few more powerful bucks of his hips, Inuyasha pulled out in time to cum on her back, biting back curses as his core went taut.

Sleep was for the wicked. So he said. Inuyasha had cleaned Kagome up, taken care of her after to make sure she was okay, gotten her water from the fridge while she was in the bathroom, and the moment their heads hit the pillows, they were sedated, lethargic, yet so greatly inclined to resist the pull of sleep. Kagome laid in his arms, eyes closed but still conscious, still whispering little stories to him that made him laugh. His bottom arm was loosely curled around her, but he earnestly tended to her with his other, stroking her hair, her cheek, her shoulder, massaging her temple to relax her, satiating his own desire to softly stroke her bottom lip with his thumb. It was a moment he wanted burned into his memory for as long as he lived. How easy it was to worship her, to love her, to respect her and cherish the light that she offered by just being. How simple it felt to just exist with her in such an insignificant moment that still meant the world to them both. It almost hurt, how much he adored Kagome. It was a pain he gladly accepted, though. It was a pain that reminded him he was alive, fortunate. It was a good pain. It made him question who he'd ever be without her, and then it made him immediately squash the thought as he silently swore he'd never let a living soul hurt this woman. Ever. He'd give his life for hers without a second thought.

What didn't seem to hurt so much anymore, though, was parting. Goodbye was always bittersweet, but the both of them also felt complacent. The hard part was gone and passed. Had been for a little while. And, four months later, their path was reaching an alignment.

He'd succeeded. Inuyasha was finally receiving his promotion in his father's company, attaining his share of the partnership. It was a huge weight off his shoulders, and a moment he couldn't help but hope his late father would be proud of.

This also meant he was coming home.

The moment Sesshomaru and he finished speaking about the upcoming changes and their next course of action, Inuyasha purchased a ticket for a flight home for the following week. The call to inform Kagome was nerve-spiking, because he anxiously awaited her excited reaction. He anxiously awaited closing the gap and ending the remainder of their madness. And, she didn't fall through. God, when her voice got so high pitched because she just couldn't contain herself, it brought the dumbest grin to his face.

Momentarily, she'd been staying with her mom, the job she was currently working lackluster and only a means of experience for the time being. Not too long ago, Inuyasha presented the idea of them finding a place together whenever he got back - which would involve her relocating to a different state and leaving her job - and he'd be a fucking liar if he said he wasn't nervous as all hell that she'd decline. It was a big move for them, but one neither of them could neglect to acknowledge would eventually happen no matter what. Considering the incredibly obvious circumstances. To his surprise, she'd enthusiastically agreed.

As unsure as everything was, no apartment to come home to but a hotel to stay in until they found a place of their own, the couple was just too happy to care about the details. Finding an apartment would be a simple task, anyway, since money wasn't a thing to worry about in Inuyasha's book. Kagome packed her things and got to their new city a few days ahead of him, and though he watched her roll her eyes time and time again over their FaceTime call, her boyfriend actively refused to allow her to stay in a hotel that looked remotely shoddy. They were looking online together before she'd left, but he proved to be resolute in his decision, deciding on one he'd approved of and booking it for her with his own card. Oh, he got an earful for that since she felt it wasn't fair he was paying for it, but he took it all with an arrogant smile. This was his way of taking care of her. Kagome could protest all she wanted; it was done and set in stone, and Inuyasha felt no inking of regret.

She'd caught a taxi from her hotel to the airport, practically bouncing in her seat the entire ride there, which escalated into a vibrating anticipation as they sought out the terminal he'd be landing in. Kagome was so giddy, so excited that she felt like she was high, her chest weightless and fingers slightly shaky from the overabundance of endorphins flowing through her system. Inuyasha's flight was scheduled to land by ten-thirty that evening, but surprisingly the airport still had a good amount of foot traffic within. It was physically impossible to fight off her body's reaction to bob from foot-to-foot while she stood idly in the waiting area, but it was all she could do to stay put when people started flowing out, a nearby, electronic board stating his flight had landed moments ago. Taking her cue, Kagome unrolled the small-sized poster paper in her hands, "Cujo" written on the front of it in bold, decorative handwriting. She'd warned him she'd do this if he continued to make fun of her the other night, the two of them having too much fun joking around, but he clearly thought she was full of it. The moment his silver hair came into view, though, ember eyes staring down at his phone, the hanyou donned in jeans, a loose tee, and a hoodie, Kagome just couldn't contain herself. The paper loosely rolled back up on its own in her hand as she dropped it with the other, squealing loudly and sprinting over to her boyfriend. Inuyasha glanced up, a bright smile appearing on his face as he opened his arms and caught her when she jumped into his hold, her legs wrapping around his waist and body hugging him as firmly as she could.

"Hi!" He greeted, holding her securely and laughing.

"I missed you!" Kagome squeezed him tighter, too happy to let go yet.

"You have no idea, babe."

She leaned back in his arms, just enough to kiss him, smiling gleefully as she peppered his lips in affection over and over. "Welcome home."

He was hot, happy. Thankful. Licking his lips to welcome her taste when she pulled back to smile at him.

"What's the sign say?" He smirked, letting her know he hadn't missed the fact that she was carrying a poster. Kagome laughed, unfurling it to show him, and he groaned with feigned annoyance. Inuyasha hiked her up in his arms, easily tossing her over his shoulder as she yelped and laughed even harder, supporting her upper body with her hands braced on his back. "Where's the fucking trashcan? I'm throwing your ass away."

"Inuyasha, no!" She pleaded meekly in the midsts of her giggle fit.


End file.
